A Series of Firsts
by spirithorse
Summary: AU One-shots all thrown together in one story cataloguing Atemu's experiences in his own body. Puzzleshipping.
1. Thanksgiving

**Author's Note:** Okay, planning to do a little one-shot repository about a bunch of 'first times' of Yami, having assumed that he regained his own body instead of going into the afterlife at the end of the series. Mostly, these are going to be a mesh of humorous situations and shameless fluff, because there should be more fluff in the world.

This is just a little Thanksgiving themed one shot that popped into my head while shopping for stuff for Thanksgiving.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own the plot…what plot there is.

**Warning: **slight boyxboy, spoilers for Yami's real name and shameless fluff.

Dedicated to all of the authors on The Best Puzzleshipping Contest forum. You guys wanted more fluff in the world. Here's my contribution.

* * *

**Thanksgiving**

Atemu held back a chuckle as he watched Yugi almost throwing himself at the overloaded cart in an attempt to get it to move as his mother wandered off, shopping list still in her hand. The former spirit of the Millennium Puzzle shook his head before walking up behind Yugi, taking a hold of the cart as the teenager tried to get the thing moving. "Let me help, aibou."

Yugi looked up with a blush, sighing in defeat before stepping away to allow Atemu to get the cart moving. The former pharaoh leaned into the cart, eyes widening briefly as he felt how heavy the thing was before it began inching forward, Yugi jumping back in when Atemu had got it up to some kind of speed. The teenager gave Atemu a smile, his wide violet eyes shinning. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The smiles on both of their faces disappeared as Yugi's mother bustled back with something else to add to the cart, Yugi looking like he was despairing ever getting the thing moving again. He reluctantly pulled the cart to a halt, Atemu waiting behind him as Yugi's mother tapped her nails against the wire side.

Finally, with a smile, she declared, "Finished," and headed off for the checkout.

Yugi heaved a sigh and went back to throwing his weight at the cart, managing to get it moving on his own this time, although at a snails place. Atemu took the burden of looking out for Yugi's mother in the crowd of people in the store, although, he was not much better of a lookout than Yugi. Thankfully, their distinctive looks would prevent them from being lost for too long.

Assured that he knew where Yugi's mother was, Atemu spoke to his hikari. "What's the point of this holiday, aibou?"

Yugi looked up from shoving the cart through the crowd of eager shoppers, the wire contraption itself not helping as it tended to veer to the left at random times. Atemu moved up to walk on the left side of the cart, acting as a barrier. Yugi gave him another smile of thanks before going back to his work. "It's about giving thanks for what you have, mou hitori no boku."

"You need a holiday to do that." Atemu blinked in confusion.

"Yes. Well, no." Yugi sighed, hastily pulling the cart to a stop to avoid running over a two year old making a bid for freedom down the frozen food aisle. The two of them cautiously looked for any more escaping children before continuing on their way to the front of the supermarket. "Originally, it was a feast between a group of settlers and a tribe of Native Americans to give thanks for getting a good harvest and surviving in the new world."

"So, it's a feast to celebrate a good harvest?" Atemu was rewarded with a brief smile from Yugi. He gave a nod of his own, absently reaching out to correct the shopping cart's drift as they finally reached the check out lines, leaning against the cart as Yugi's mother bustled around, checking if she had everything they needed before sending Yugi scurrying off through the crowd to grab one last item.

Atemu kept an eye on his hikari as long as he could, resigned to guard the cart as Yugi's mother was a bit distracted at the moment. Yugi's distinctive spiked and red tipped hair disappeared into the sea of people, leaving Atemu to sigh and shift, waiting for his hikari to return. His head was full of various ceremonies and important dates, most of them from his time as a pharaoh of Egypt and some of them from his time sharing a body with Yugi, although those tended to buckle under the sheer volume of the former. Yugi had taken it upon himself to educate Atemu in the ways of the world that he had chosen to stay in, confusing traditions and all.

He was still working his way through the idea of a celebrating a good harvest when one was so removed from the actual work and some of the food didn't even come from the country one lived in when Yugi bounded up again, dropping the last forgotten item into the pile before herding Atemu to the other end of the check out to help load up the cart again. With two people working, it was quickly accomplished and they were heading out to the car again, Yugi still struggling with the cart as it was determined to go left no matter what.

The process was repeated at the trunk, Atemu stepping back as he watched Yugi and his mother work and tried to figure out the order in which the groceries were placed in the trunk. He had tried to help once, but everything he had put in had just been shifted around, so he usually just unloaded the car when they arrived home. There he knew where everything went. Yugi bustled off to return the cart, dashing back moments later and dodging the cars that were trying to find a parking spot in the packed lot; Atemu breathing easily only when his hikari was sliding into the back seat of the car.

Yugi groaned as his mother turned on the radio, Christmas songs playing out of the speakers as she pulled the car out of its parking space and drove home. He leaned forward as far as his seatbelt would allow. "Mom, it's not even Thanksgiving yet."

She laughed and turned off the radio, giving her son a smile through the rearview mirror. "I'm just getting into the mood."

Yugi sat back with a smile of his own. "There is no _mood_ because it isn't even the right season."

Atemu chuckled at the exchange, slightly distracted by his own shifting through information, trying to remember exactly when Christmas was. Currently, the only images he was getting was of the ritualistic sacrifices of animals, which he knew was not part of the Christmas celebrations, and a white rabbit with eggs. He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes. It was only weeks since he had gotten his memory back and decided to remain. He was still trying to sort through two lifetimes of memories.

He opened one eye as he felt a hand lay over his. Atemu looked down, seeing that Yugi had reached out to comfort him. The hand that lay over his gave a quick squeeze before retreating, leaving behind its gentle warmth. Atemu smiled, closing his eye again as he continued to shuffle through his memories, wondering if this sort of thing would be easier to do in his soul room.

The steady slow down of the car and the feel of brakes told him that he didn't have a time for that trip. He opened both eyes, quickly undoing his seatbelt and walking around back to help Yugi unload. The two of them worked fast, conveying the food to the kitchen where Yugi's mother was in charge of finding the space to put it all away, shooing them out when they were finished. Yugi gave Atemu a shrug and headed up to his room, the former pharaoh following.

Yugi and Atemu collapsed to the bed, the latter grunting as Yugi landed partially splayed over his back. He looked over his shoulder at a giggle, not surprised to see that Yugi was leaning over to peer at him. Atemu managed to wiggle one arm out from under him, resting his chin on it as he looked at Yugi out of the corner of his eye. "Hello, aibou."

There was another giggle. "Hello."

"Do you plan to lay there all afternoon?"

Yugi nodded, wriggling as he searched for another comfortable position that still kept him in contact with Atemu. "You're comfy."

Atemu laughed. "In all my years, I don't think I have been once called comfy."

"There's a first time for everything." Yugi had stopped his squirming, now resting his chin on Atemu's shoulder while the rest of his body lay over Atemu's. The former pharaoh shook his head, turning it so he could see Yugi better, enjoying the happiness that was in the violet eyes before shrugging, the motion sending Yugi toppling of him and to the side. That got him a poke in the ribs as Yugi scrambled up to a more stable position on the bed. "Mou hitori no boku!"

"You should know that it is a crime to touch the Pharaoh." Atemu sat up, a smile on his face as his joked. Yugi returned his smile before shy scooting closer to Atemu, yelping when he was pulled onto the former pharaoh's lap. Embarrassed, his played with his fingers while looking up through his blonde bangs.

"But you don't mind."

"Of course not." Atemu smiled before drawing Yugi into a kiss.

* * *

He woke up on Thursday noticing two things. One, Yugi had already woken up and left him, leaving the bed bereft of the usual warmth and him without his pillow. Second, something was beginning to smell really good, his stomach giving a feeble growl as he sat up. Atemu glared as his stomach before looking around the room, Yugi had priority over food.

Atemu looked over at the chair in front of Yugi's desk, noticing that the blue jacket that was usually slung across it was there. He frowned and propped himself up on the pillows, still processing everything through a haze of sleep. He glanced across the room, relaxing as he saw that the closet wasn't shut completely, just slightly ajar; a sure sign that Yugi had been there. He chuckled to himself before sliding out of their bed, walking over to the dresser to dig out his own clothes. Now that he knew that Yugi was safely up and somewhere in the house he could relax a fraction, one part of his mind wondering how the teenager could even stand after what they had done the night before.

He pulled on his leather pants, pulling on a long sleeved black shirt before snatching a grey vest with blue trim out of the closet as a second thought; he still wasn't used to the temperature here yet. Atemu made his way downstairs, pausing at the top of the stairwell to take a deep breath, feeling his mouth start to water from the delicious smell that was wafting up from the kitchen. He finally shook out of his daze and walked down the stairs, pausing as he saw a familiar person sitting on the couch. Deciding that figuring out what was causing that delicious smell could wait until later, Atemu made a detour to the couch, leaning over the back of the piece of furniture to rest his chin on top of Yugi's head. "Morning, aibou."

Yugi laughed, taking hold of one of Atemu's hands and urging him to come sit on the sofa. The former pharaoh complied with the request, settling himself by Yugi. The teenager grinned at him, wrapped up in a colorful blanket, before he tackled Atemu onto his back, snuggling up with him. "Morning, although, it's actually afternoon."

"Afternoon?" Atemu blinked in confusion, looking out of the nearest window.

"Yep." Yugi settled into a more comfortable position, resting his chin on the arms he had crossed over Atemu's chest. "Sleepy head. But, I let you sleep because you're old and you have to be tired after doing all that work you did last night."

Atemu blushed, looking down at the carpet before looking back at his aibou, noticing that Yugi was still smiling innocently down at him. The teenager shifted so he could reach out an arm, gently brushing his finger's over Atemu's cheek before correcting the path of a bang absently. "I almost never get to see you asleep. You're like a different person then, more relaxed. You need to do that more often."

"Sleep?"

"No. Relax." Yugi shifted up to give Atemu a kiss, the two of them looking up as Solomon walked into the living room.

"Unless the two of you are too busy, lunch is ready. Hurry before I eat it all."

"Grandpa!" Atemu groaned in disappointment as the warm weight of Yugi disappeared from on top of him, the teenager racing for the kitchen. He struggled with the blanket for a while before managing to untangle himself, nearly falling off of the couch during his battle. He walked into the kitchen at a more sedate pace, his eyes widening as he looked at the sheer amount of food in front of him. The small assaulted him seconds later, almost making him stagger back. He had attended feasts during his time as pharaoh, trying to avoid some more than others, but he had never smelled anything as delicious as this. His stomach gave a growl, urging him to walk forward.

Yugi glanced over at him from his place at the table, hopping up and going to the counter to help guide the former pharaoh through the sheer amount of food that he was seeing. In the end, Yugi just ended up piling things onto Atemu's plate with the assurance that they were good. Still slightly dazed by this, Atemu allowed himself to be led back to the table, glancing over at Yugi's plate in confusion. "Aibou, is Joey coming over?"

The teenager's eyes narrowed, Yugi leaning slightly over his food. "No, why?"

"Then you…" Atemu stared at the plate, realizing that he had never seen Yugi attempt to eat so much in one sitting. "You're going to eat all of that."

Yugi gave a cute giggle, mixing the gravy into his mashed potatoes. "I told you it was a holiday for celebrating a good harvest."

Atemu just shook his head, staring at his plate before tentatively staring, watching Yugi devour his food out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

"It's just, where does it all go?" Atemu leaned against one elbow, not really caring that it wasn't proper to have elbows on the table, his eyes wide as he watched Yugi clear his plate…again. The former pharaoh had lost count of helpings after three, wondering if this was a normal occurrence. To his relief, Yugi seemed to be done after this plate, lazily using a roll to mop up the rest of the gravy on his plate.

"I didn't eat breakfast today, mou hitori no boku, and it was," Yugi shifted to glance at the clock, "about two when we started. I was hungry."

Atemu laughed, smothering a yawn with his hand as he sat up. He caught Yugi's thoughtful look before the hikari popped the last of the roll into his mouth and wandered back into the living room. Atemu followed, finding that Yugi had returned to his spot on the sofa with the blanket wrapped around him. The former pharaoh joined him, curling at one end of the couch. He saw Yugi look his way, stretching out as the teenager shifted for him to do so. He was wondering what Yugi was up to when the hikari resumed his lying over Atemu's stomach, the former pharaoh grunting at the action. "Aibou, that hurts."

The response was a sleepy smile, Yugi rolling off to one side to rest in the small space between the back of the couch at Atemu, making a small sound of contentment before snuggling up to his lover. "Sorry."

"Yugi?"

"Sleepy." Yugi shifted, resting his head on Atemu's chest with a happy sigh, one arm moving to rest just above the former pharaoh's stomach. "You're warm."

"Ai," Atemu yawned in the middle of the endearment, "bou? What's going on?"

Yugi treated him to another one of his smiles, burrowing his face into the vest that Atemu wore. "Always happens. Get a full stomach and," Yugi waved a hand around, "something about the turkey and you get sleepy. Usually, we try to watch a movie after lunch."

"Try?"

"Yeah." There was another yawn from Yugi. "Mom and Grandpa clean up and then they come to watch a movie. I don't make it through, too tired, so they get away with choosing the worst movies. Don't mind today though, warm."

Atemu tugged at Yugi's arm, encouraging the teenager to crawl over him so he was lying at the edge of the couch with Atemu behind him. Yugi gave a whimper at the loss of warmth, looking back at Atemu as he struggled with the blanket before wrapping it around them again. The teenager sighed and snuggled back into Atemu, giving a content hum. "I think I like this Thanksgiving better than the others. Never had anyone to cuddle with afterwards."

The former pharaoh just gave a short sound of agreement, his eyes already falling closed. He felt good. He was warm, had a full stomach and, most importantly, Yugi was close to him. Atemu sighed, listening to the sleepy giggle that Yugi gave as the air tickled the back of his neck. So far, this was better than most of the other celebrations that he had been at when he had been the Pharaoh. For one, they included less Yugi and more witless girls. He felt his eyes slip closed, placing a kiss on the back of Yugi's neck before beginning to fall asleep. He was briefly woken up by a poke from Yugi. "Don't fall asleep now."

"Just resting my eyes, aibou."

"Is that what you said when they found you sleeping on the throne?"

Atemu opened one eye at the question, wondering if it was really worth it to expend the energy to sit up and glare at Yugi, knowing full well that his glares wouldn't work on his hikari. He threw the idea out, preferring to continue to hug Yugi to his chest. But that didn't mean that he would let the question, and the assumption that came with it, stand. "I never slept on the throne, aibou. Off it, yes. But never on it."

"Sure, mou hitori no boku. Sure." He held still as Yugi turned in his arms, tucking his head under Atemu's chin before giving a small sigh. "Smell like cinnamon. 'S good."

"Glad you approve." Atemu rested his chin on top of Yugi's head as the teenager took a grip of his shirt, pulling closer before finally relaxing.

"'Night mou hitori no boku."

Atemu smiled and kissed the top of Yugi's head before shifting minutely so he was comfortable. "Love you, aibou."

He got a mumbled reply before he slipped off into sleep, holding Yugi close to him.

* * *

_Happy Thanksgiving everyone._

_Read and review. Criticism is greatly appreciated._


	2. Snowfall

**Author's Note:** I feel as I should warn the readers that there is no continuity to these little one shots. I'm just throwing them out there as I get inspired/want to run away from my current project that is giving me grief. And so we come to this, dedicated to the cold walk from the dorm to the dining hall and, as always, I forget a jacket. Also, dedicated to the snow that decided to fall, but not to stick.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however own the plot…what plot there is.

* * *

**Snowfall**

"Smells like snow."

The off hand comment from Yugi earned him a sideways glance from Atemu, the former pharaoh adjusting the strap of his backpack over his left shoulder as he looked at his partner. Yugi just gave him a happy smile before taking another deep breath, taking his hands out of the pockets of his coat. Atemu shivered at the mere thought of exposing any skin to the cold air. His face was cold enough as it was. He swore his nose was about to fall off.

"Of course, it should be a little bit colder for snow."

"Colder?" Atemu watched his breath appear, the white vapor slowly fading into the afternoon. He shivered at the very thought and pulled his jacket more tightly around him, tucking his chin into the black scarf that he had around his neck. He shot a glance at Yugi as the teenager laughed, looping his arm through Atemu's and walking a bit faster.

"Come on, we'll get home and get you warmed up." Atemu began walking faster at the promise, wanting to get out of the cold air as fast as he could. The cold had never really affected him when he had been with Yugi, every sensation feeling filtered by the time it got to him. Cold, back then, had been a little discomfort that was easily brushed off; not this bone chilling feeling that made him want to hide under the covers for the rest of the day.

He looked hopefully down the road, sighing as he realized that they had a good few minutes walk back to the game shop. Usually he would be distracted by Joey, the blonde teen usually hopping all over the sidewalk and Atemu having to struggle to avoid coming in his path. He was constantly reminded of his priests when he walked home, everyone seeming to follow him –although it was really Yugi- as they walked along; although none of his priests would have dared to ruffle his hair.

"Atemu?" The former pharaoh shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that they had arrived at the game shop and Yugi was holding the door open, staring back at him in confusion. Usually he would be already inside the warmth of the house, but he had zoned out in the cold. He shook his head and gave Yugi a reassuring smile before walking into the game shop, slipping off his shoes as Yugi closed the door behind him.

He had been spacing out a lot recently, but Atemu thought he had an excuse. While not as disorganized as before, he still had a lot of memories to sort through and reconcile himself with. The instances of being hit with a random memory were growing less frequent, which was perfectly fine with him. He had been getting sick of suddenly staring off into space and missing something important when something came back to him, the triggers of the incidents still unknown to him.

Atemu slipped out of his coat, unwinding the scarf from around his neck and draping both over his arm as he waited for Yugi to be ready to head upstairs. The teenager smiled at him. walking over to the counter of the shop and giving his grandfather a kiss before heading upstairs. Solomon and Atemu shared a nod before the former pharaoh followed his partner upstairs.

"Head on up and start on homework, I'll be up with something to warm you up in a minute." Atemu accepted the backpack that was passed to him, beginning the climb up to the room that they shared. He padded down the hallway and shoved the door open with his shoulder, tossing his coat and scarf on the bed before setting their backpacks down by the desk. He then returned to his coat and scarf, hanging them up on the hook behind the door. Backing away, he reached for his backpack, sighing as he unzipped the bag to stare into the inside.

It was amazing his back hadn't given out by now with all the stuff he had to carry around. There were at least three textbooks that were ferried back home daily. Atemu sighed before fumbling for his history book, hoping that he could distract himself with something interesting. He flopped back onto the bed, knowing that Yugi would take the desk for his preferred workplace and opened the book to a random page. He winced as he found himself staring at a picture of the Sphinx before flipping forward in the book. He had never read the chapters on Ancient Egypt, having come in too late in the school year for that, but he did have memories of them from Yugi. The inaccuracy scared him sometimes.

Atemu looked up as the door opened again, Yugi entering with his hands wrapped around two mugs with steam coming from the top. He sat up quickly, smiling at the teenager. Yugi returned the smile before placing one of the mugs on the desk before handing the other to Atemu. "Still cold, mou hitori no boku?"

"Not as much as before." Atemu accepted the mug and wrapped his hands around it, smiling at the scent of hot chocolate. He closed his eyes with a content sigh as the warmth from the drink and the mug warmed up his hands. He could hear Yugi scrambling around in his backpack, the teenager sighing and throwing a book onto his desk, a sure sign that Yugi had chosen to start on his math. Atemu's smile widened, opening his eyes to take a sip of his hot chocolate before moving his history book aside.

He leaned forward to place his hot chocolate on the desk, using the move as an excuse to stand up and look over Yugi's shoulder. Atemu rested his hands on Yugi's shoulders, feeling the teen relax under the touch. "Need help, aibou?"

"No." Yugi shook his head, his pencil beginning to move across the page. "I just hate math."

"But you're good at it."

"Doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"Think about the problems like you are dueling. I promise you, it's more fun then."

Yugi gave him a blank look, raising an eyebrow in an imitation of him. "I doubt I'll be asked to calculate interest rates during a duel. I just can't see it happening."

Atemu laughed before making his way back to the bed and sprawling out on it. He reached for his own math homework, dragging that text book out as Yugi began scribbling on his paper. Atemu began to work on his own homework, working through the problems without really thinking. Although they had different teachers, Atemu and Yugi were usually in the same place in math.

Hours passed as they made their way through their homework, Atemu looking up every once and a while to see Yugi staring at the sky with a hopeful look in his eyes. He shrugged it off as Yugi wishing that it didn't get dark so early. His hikari said that it was kind of depressing to see so little of the sunlight in the winter. Atemu was in the middle of plowing through Hamlet when he caught Yugi doing it again, his own book resting unopened on the desk. Slightly worried, Atemu sat up and got Yugi's attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Yugi absently played with his now empty mug, a small smile on his face. "I just have a feeling it will snow."

Atemu raised an eyebrow before going back to his book, scowling as he tried to get back to Hamlet. He couldn't understand why the prince wouldn't _do_ anything. As a noble he should have acted, it was part of his upbringing. His literature class seemed to sympathize with the character while he was constantly baffled by his indecision. If something was ruining your country you acted, you didn't just sit there questioning everything. Of course, his own view on it could be a bit biased. Not that he would ever admit that.

"Anyways, do you want the shower first?"

"Why do we have to take turns?"

He heard Yugi laugh before the teenager's school jacket was thrown at him. "Pervert."

Atemu pulled the jacket from his head, settling back on the bed and watching as his hikari gathered his pajamas before heading out of the room. The former pharaoh waited until his hikari had moved from his sight before he resigned himself to reading through the rest of his assigned pages, soon the only sounds coming from the sound of pages turning and snorts of disgust as Atemu continued on.

* * *

The former pharaoh stepped out of the bathroom, absently rubbing a towel over his hair. As it dried, the tri-color strands were beginning to return to their gravity defying state. Atemu leaned back in to throw the towel over the rod on the back of the door before walking back into the room he shared with Yugi, immediately being thrown back to the bed as Yugi tackled him.

Atemu stared down at the hikari that was nuzzling his chest, amused by Yugi's reaction to the pajamas he was wearing. While Yugi had settled for his favorite flannel star patterned pajamas, Atemu was wearing black flannel pajamas, the neckline on his cut low. He wrapped his arms around Yugi, returning the hug as Yugi sighed. "Fluffy and warm."

"Glad I meet your approval."

Yugi giggled and pushed away, sitting cross legged on the bed. Atemu joined his aibou fully on the bed, glancing at the door before sighing. "I'm guessing that this is going to be one of those 'grab what you want' nights."

The teenager nodded. "Mom is in the next city. I hope she gets back before the snow."

"How do you even know it's going to snow, aibou?"

Yugi looked at him. "I told you. It smelled like it."

"How can you smell snow?"

Yugi shrugged. "When you have lived as long as I have-"

Atemu held up a finger to cut him off, smiling. "You cannot use that excuse with me, aibou. I am about three thousand years older than you."

The teenager laughed and hugged Atemu again. "Just trust me. I can smell the snow."

"Alright, aibou." Atemu pulled Yugi off the bed, guiding him towards the door. "But this old man needs feeding, unless you're going to offer an alternative to dinner?"

Yugi gave his shoulder a gentle slap before pulling away, bounding down the hallway; calling back over his shoulder, "Pervert!"

* * *

Atemu woke up with a shiver, opening his eyes to see that the covers were still on over him and Yugi was still cuddled up to his chest. He shivered again before pulling Yugi closer, one hand reaching underneath the covers for the extra blanket that he used, pulling it from where it had tangled around his legs and up his body. Atemu glanced up at the clock to see what time it was, the motion turning his gaze to the skylight.

His eyes widened as he saw the white that covered the window. He tensed for a moment before carefully slipping out of bed, wrapping his arms around himself when he realized how cold it was. He tip-toed over to where he could see the skylight more clearly, craning his head up to stare at the covering. Cautiously, he reached up to touch the glass, surprised to find it cold. He pulled his hand back down, blowing on it to dissipate the cold sensation.

Atemu tipped his head to the other side, staring at the white covering, so engrossed in his study that he didn't notice Yugi stirring. He jumped at the excited squeal from the bed, turning to see his aibou bouncing over to where he was standing, jumping on the balls of his feet.

"It snowed, Atemu!"

So this was snow. Atemu tipped his head to the other side, unimpressed by the white substance. It was not what he had expected and it made everything colder, something that Atemu would have rather not happened. All in all, he was not happy about this new development. "I can see that, aibou."

"I'm going to check to see if school has been canceled." Yugi tore off down the hall, Atemu hesitating before walking over to the dresser and slipping on socks. He followed his aibou down into the main level of the house, immediately claiming the blanket that they kept over the back of the couch and curling up in it. He opened it to allow Yugi into his lap, the teenager sighing as he settled back, turning on the television with the remote.

Atemu shifted to a more comfortable position and began to doze, lulled back to sleep with the comfortable warmth of Yugi in his lap. He was jostled from his sleep as Yugi shot to his feet, the teenager managing to smother his shout of joy. Atemu blinked sleepily, looking at the television in time to see Domino High flash across the bottom of the screen before the next school appeared. He looked up at Yugi, amused by the little dance that his hikari was doing. "Aibou?"

"School is out for the day. Three day weekend, Atemu!"

"Good." Atemu yawned, standing up and dropping the blanket from his shoulders. Now he could return to bed and try to warm up. Maybe he would have to borrow a sweatshirt from Yugi to stay warm. "I'm going back to bed."

"No." Yugi grabbed onto his arm, beaming at him. "We're going to play in the snow."

There was a moment of silence, Atemu's eyes widening.

"You can play in it?"

* * *

Atemu stared at the white expanse that had once been their front walk, the pristine surface marred at points by Yugi's footprints, left behind as the teenager raced around in the snow. He glanced up at his hikari before going back to his inspection of the snow, prodding it with his foot. It gave under his weight, collapsing and leaving a mark from where he was tried to step into the snow.

He sighed and looked up, surprised to see more of the white stuff falling from the sky. He was just beginning his further contemplation of the sky when something knocked into his side. Atemu jumped and looked down, surprised to see snow sticking to the arm of his coat. He glanced up at Yugi, eyes widening as he saw that his aibou was casually tossing a ball of snow in his hands. "Come on, mou hitori no boku."

"Aibou…" Atemu sighed before venturing into the snow, hearing it crunch under his feet. He wasn't sure if he was a fan of this snow, suddenly yearning for the dry sands of Egypt. There he could at least be warm year round. He jumped as another snowball hit his back, staring awestruck at Yugi as the teenager giggled. And it was impossible to stay angry with Yugi when he was laughing. "Rebellion, is it?"

"What?" The smile disappeared from Yugi's face for a moment, Atemu taking the time to scoop up some snow in his hands, packing it into the shape of a ball. Yugi gave a squeak and tried to run, yelping as Atemu's snowball hit him in the back. And then Atemu was off, chasing after Yugi.

The two traded snowballs, Yugi being able to fashion them faster but his aim was slightly worse. Atemu still stumbled around, not quite used to walking in the snow, but all thoughts of being cold were forgotten.

Atemu finally caught Yugi, pulling him into a hug. The teenager struggled for a moment before going limp in his hold, panting as he tried to regain his breath. The former pharaoh smirked before leaning forward. "Caught you." He watched Yugi trembled as his breath ghosted over the teenager's neck. "Now how should I deal with you?"

"Atemu…" Yugi broke off into giggles as Atemu tickled his side, the former pharaoh letting up as Yugi slumped forward in his hold.

"Address me properly."

Yugi tensed, looking at Atemu out of the corner of his eye. "My Pharaoh…"

"Better." Atemu kissed Yugi's neck, enjoying the shiver that passed through the teen before pulling away. "Cold, aibou?"

Yugi gave a nod, allowing Atemu to nearly carry him back into the shop, where they stripped out of their wet coats, hanging them up to dry in a corner. Yugi was the first up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time as he raced to living room, Atemu following at a more sedate pace.

He still didn't like snow, but he could put up with it. Especially if it caused _that_ reaction in Yugi. He licked his lips unconsciously, a smile crossing his face as he climbed the stairs into the living room. He went after his aibou, waving to Solomon as the elderly man walked out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Atemu glanced at the clock before raising an eyebrow. "Opening the shop late?"

Solomon laughed. "The kids want to play in the snow before the make their way down here, if any do at all."

"I'm sure they will."

"We'll play Duel Monsters down there in a minute…or better yet out in the snow!"

Solomon laughed at the expression on Atemu's face. "Is the snow a bit much for you?"

Atemu shrugged. "Not as bad as I originally thought."

Yugi appeared with their Duel Disks, bouncing excitedly. "Come on, mou hitori no boku!"

Atemu rolled his eyes before following Yugi back downstairs to retrieve his coat. He slipped his Duel Disk on over his coat, absently reaching for the deck that he kept with him at all times, a throwback to their days of peril and adventure. Yugi was already waiting for him outside, talking to some of the kids that had started to gather. Atemu smiled and slotted his deck into place, stepping outside before he activated the Duel Disk, seeing Yugi do the same.

Yes, the snow wasn't as bad as he originally thought. And maybe he could learn to like it.

But that didn't mean he appreciated the cold it brought with it.

* * *

_Read and review please. Constructive criticism, as always, is greatly appreciated._


	3. Christmas Ornaments

**Author's Note:** Here's a little Christmas offering. I borrowed a gag from Lucidscreamer at the end of this little one-shot. I use it simply as a gag and a tribute to this amazing author and I do not even pretend to own the original idea behind it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own the plot…what little plot there is.

* * *

**Christmas Ornaments**

"Be careful with that! Those things are fragile!" Atemu rolled his eyes, making sure that Yugi's mother wasn't looking at him as he did so. He carefully shifted the box that he held in his arms before climbing down from the attic. Yugi's mother gave him an even glare before walking down to the living room with her own load. The former pharaoh sighed and followed her downstairs.

He stopped at the foot of the stairs, blinking at the transformed living room. The furniture had been pushed out of the way so that one corner was bare and there were a few old sheets spread out on the floor. Atemu cautiously made his way across the room, placing his box beside the others that were already there. He stepped back, jumping as he collided with the couch earlier than he should have.

Yugi's mother had dragged him into digging around in the attic to retrieve decorations when he had emerged from Yugi's room after locking himself in to finish an essay, one that Yugi had already completed the day before. This was his first time downstairs three solid hours of trying to write a paper.

He leaned against the couch, glancing over his shoulder at the exhausted sigh from behind him. "Aibou?"

Yugi lifted the arm he had thrown across his eyes, a smile crossing his face. "So, you've emerged?"

"Yes."

"How did it go?"

Atemu winced at the memory of staring at the blinking cursor on the computer screen, trying to conjure words and failing. He shook his head. "As well as can be expected."

Yugi nodded, jumping up from the couch as his mother bustled past, moving to the first large container and opening the top. The teenager took out a sheet of paper and stared at it for a while before tossing it nearby on the floor. He leaned into the container, rooting around inside before pulling a few things out and sitting down on the ground. Atemu hesitated a moment before sitting on the ground by Yugi.

The teenager didn't look up from the assembly of the stand, glancing over at the piece of paper on the floor every once and a while as he wrestled the pieces of metal into place. Atemu was just about to offer his help when Yugi triumphantly set the stand on the floor, reaching for the container before standing up and rummaging again. Atemu stood up as well, staring at his aibou as the teenager pulled out a large rug, turning it over in his hands. The two colors, red on one side and green on the other, flashed by in quick succession before Yugi finally knelt on the floor and wrapping the rug around the stand so that the red side was out.

Feeling Atemu's confused stare, Yugi stood back up, walking over to him to rest a hand on his cheek. "Red, like my pharaoh's eyes."

He kissed Atemu, wrapping his arms around the former pharaoh's neck and holding him close. The kiss was quick and chaste, Yugi pulling back only far enough to rest his forehead against Atemu's. The two stood like for a while, Yugi moving them into a gentle swaying motion, a content hum coming from the teenager.

After a short time, Yugi pulled away with a long sigh, turning back to the container, staring at the contents before consulting the sheet on the ground. Atemu walked up behind him, looking at the diagram of a tree and the colors written beside layers. He jumped as a branch was shoved at him, Yugi reaching for another one and beginning to pull the flattened branches out. Atemu followed his example, earning a smile from the hikari.

"So this is…"

"Christmas tree." Yugi finished his branch, setting it down before reaching back into the container for the trunk of the fake tree and attaching it to the stand. His branch was inserted into a slot before Yugi turned back to get another. "We would have put it up sooner but we were all a bit busy."

Atemu paused in fluffing out his branch as soft music came on, turning as he heard Yugi's mother humming along. He caught sight of Yugi shaking his head out of the corner of his eye before returning to work. The two of them fell into a steady rhythm of fluffing out the branches of the fake tree, working to keep the needles that did fall off from getting on the floor. Sometime in their work, Solomon appeared from the shop to lend a hand.

They were halfway done with the tree with Yugi straining to reach the vacant slots. Atemu was even beginning to have trouble reaching. The teenager huffed before running for a chair from the kitchen and setting it up beside the tree. He was climbing up onto the chair, Atemu keeping a careful eye on him, when Yugi's mother walked back into the room. Yugi looked over his shoulder at his mother, still working to get the branch into the slot. "What's the plan this year?"

"We'll actually be going to the family get together this year, soulless husk or not." Yugi's mother gave him a glare, the threat apparent. There would be no wiggling out of this. The hikari sighed and slumped, the branch he held nearly falling out of his hand. Atemu glanced up in worry at his aibou, distracted as Solomon began testing the lights for the tree. When he looked up next, Yugi was back to work. He remained silent for a long while, a slight frown on his face before he pulled away from the tree, reaching down for the top of the tree.

Atemu handed the large piece up to him without a word, taking a step back to stare at the tree. He tipped his head to the side, a faint smile on his face. It looked good, considering the half an hour of work they had put it. He looked over to one side as Yugi hopped down from the chair, moving it to one side before smiling at him. The teenager walked across to the box that Atemu had carried down last, carefully setting it down on the floor. The top of the box was thrown to one side, revealing the circular ornaments in soft blues and whites.

Yugi cradled one in the palm of his hand before stretching up to place it on the tree, a smile on his face before reaching down for the next one. Atemu frowned and stepped back to watch his aibou work, Yugi giggling from time to time as he placed the ornaments onto the tree. There were probably memories that Yugi had, ones that Atemu did not possess that went along with the laughter. He found himself hanging out the outskirts as the three Mutous surrounded the tree, Solomon trying to wrap the lights around the two ornaments that were already on the tree.

The former pharaoh leaned against the back of the couch, watching the three work together, managing to accomplish two things at once, chattering back and forth with each other.

"Yugi!"

"Sorry, Grandpa."

"Couldn't you have waited?"

"But you would have put these up if I hadn't!"

"No, I would have left them to you, Yugi."

"You said that last year, mom!"

"I don't think we need to put some of the older ones up."

"No, the tree gets too crowded anyway."

Atemu smiled, watching Solomon struggle with the last of the lights before plugging them in. He watched the blinking display, enjoying the play of colors on the ornaments that were already on the tree.

"That's enough, don't you think?"

"No. Just one more." Yugi rushed back over to the boxes, staring at them before digging up one that was near the bottom. "We never use these."

"They're tacky."

"Doesn't matter. They're going up this year." Yugi smiled at his mother before bounding over to Atemu, pulling him back over to the tree. The former pharaoh allowed himself to be led, staying standing as Yugi sat on the floor, opening the box to reveal a series of ornaments, vaguely Egyptian looking. Atemu blinked and knelt down on the floor, staring at them as Yugi explained. "Grandpa got them when he was still traveling the world, some of them are from his friends. Whenever they went to another country they would try and get something cheap for all of their friends, and nearly anything can be made into ornaments."

Yugi pulled out one shaped like a pyramid. "Want to help?"

"Sure, aibou." Atemu reached into the box, coming up with something that he supposed was Anubis, but the wood had been worn to the point where he couldn't really tell. He and Yugi worked around the tree, finding places to put the ornaments, sometimes running into each other and having mock fights over where their ornaments would go.

"I wanted that spot, Atemu!"

"I was there first, aibou."

"Only because you are taller." Yugi nudged his side jokingly before searching another spot for his ornament, eventually standing on his tip-toes to reach an open spot.

"Aibou, you hung that pyramid upside down."

"No I didn't."

"The point goes at the top."

"No. It's the Millennium Puzzle." The retort was concluded with Yugi sticking his tongue out before darting back to the box. "And don't you dare change it, I want it to hang like that."

Atemu rolled his eyes before pulling another ornament out of the box, staring at the cartouche and reading the jumble of badly inscribed hieroglyphs before shaking his head and walking around the tree to hang it up. "If the ba of that poor Pharaoh comes to annoy us, I'm sending it right to you to extract its revenge."

Yugi gasped, pretending to be affronted. "You wouldn't?"

He smirked. "Try me, aibou."

"But…but you're supposed to protect me!"

Atemu laughed at the mock pout that Yugi gave, putting the lid back on the empty box. "I'm sorry, aibou. It would be against everything I believe. You did incite the ba to come and haunt you. And I did warn you, but you did not listen."

He felt a hand on his arm, turning his head to look at Yugi and then wishing he hadn't. Yugi was using his wide eyes to their full advantage, even managing to get tears to form in them. Atemu felt himself waver, unable to look away as Yugi shuffled closer. "Yami…"

Before he knew what he was doing, Atemu was hugging his hikari close, flinching when he heard Yugi laugh. The teenager snuggled closer, his laughter subsiding into giggles. "You've gone soft, Atemu."

"Aibou, no one can refuse those eyes. If you had been there three thousand years ago I wouldn't have had to seal myself up in the Puzzle. We could have just sent you out to meet Zorc and that demon would have melted at those eyes."

"Hm…" Yugi shook his head. "I much prefer this."

"So do I, aibou." Atemu was settling down for a cuddling session when Yugi wiggled out of his hold, the former pharaoh staring at his hikari in amazement. The teenager held out a hand to help the former pharaoh to his feet.

"Presents need wrapping. You promised that you would help me."

Atemu groaned, remembering the day that they had been shopping for Christmas presents. They had lost Yugi's mother twice and he had been lost at least five times. Yugi had disappeared from their sight every other second, leaving the former pharaoh in a constant state of worry. Atemu had collapsed when they had gotten home, exhausted and his neck sore from craning it to try and see his hikari over the crowds of people.

Yugi smiled in sympathy, pulling Atemu to his feet and heading for their room. "Get the presents, I'll get the wrapping paper."

The former pharaoh headed for the closest, carefully pulling out the bags that contained the gifts for their friends, digging through one to put his gift to Yugi to one side. A moment later, Yugi bounded back in with brightly colored paper, scissors, ribbons and tape. The materials were placed on the floor before Yugi flopped down, reaching for the first box and giving a demonstration on how to wrap gifts, Atemu settling into the rhythm a bit later.

"Oh, you have the wrapping paper." They both looked up with what Atemu could only assume were similar looks of horror as Yugi's mother walked in with her own armful of presents that needed to be wrapped. "Yugi could you wrap these for me? I have to catch up on some things for work."

The teenager sighed and nodded, Atemu taking the sudden influx of work to sneak out his gift to Yugi into the stack, taking it a moment later and beginning to wrap it. Slowly and steadily, they worked their way through the stack of presents, sorting them into piles as they went.

* * *

There was a distinct rhythm to the kitchen when Yugi and his mother were working in it. Atemu hummed thoughtfully to himself before shifting in his seat, resting his chin on his crossed arms. He watched as the two dodged around each other, Yugi scurrying off to parts of the kitchen to retrieve the needed ingredients.

"Quarter or half cup?"

"Quarter."

Atemu smiled, watching Yugi dart back across the room before dumping the contents of the measuring cup into the mixture before rushing over to the oven to pull the batch of cookies out. Atemu sat up at the delicious smell that was filling the room, sighing. He opened his eyes as Yugi raced for something else.

"So, these are for the family get together?"

"Yes." Atemu blinked at the way the word was clipped. He turned to look at Yugi, noticing that his hikari was glaring at a section of the floor. Feeling his stare, Yugi shook his head, plastering on a smile before continuing to search the shelves.

"I get the feeling you aren't looking forward to this, aibou."

"I…" Yugi shook his head, walking over to where Atemu sat at the kitchen table and sitting down. "I love my family. It's just that, half of them still think I'm a little kid and the other half disapproves of me."

"Because of-"

"Not that." Yugi cut him off, reaching out to rest a flour covered hand on Atemu's arm. They looked down at the white mark before laughing, the tension broken by the sound. "No, they just don't approve of me focusing on Duel Monsters instead of my future. They all know I want to either run the shop with Grandpa or become an archeologist, neither of which most of them are happy with."

Yugi gave a shrug, pushing away from the table to return to helping his mother with the cookies. "Most of them are from my dad's side of the family and they are…practical."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "Practical?"

Yugi nodded. "To the point of being annoying. I try to avoid those who think I'm just a kid and talk to those who bother to remember that I am not eight years old. It gets kind of boring at these things, seeing as I get asked the same three questions over and over again." Yugi shot him a look that was hard to decipher. "At least they'll stop asking when I'll get a girlfriend."

Atemu was about to get up and hug Yugi when the oven timer beeped again, sending the teenager rushing off to get the next batch of cookies out of the oven, quickly transferring them to a cooling rack before dumping the cookie sheet into the sink, leaning back with a sigh.

"No time for a break, Yugi. The next batch is just about ready." Yugi groaned and slouched over to where his mother had prepared the next cookie sheet for him. Atemu chuckled and settled back to watch the play between the two of them, his stomach reminding him of why he had come in here in the first place. But he didn't think that he would be reaching the refrigerator anytime soon.

* * *

Atemu sat in the living room, just watching the lights on the tree blink on and off. It was strangely relaxing in a way, sitting in silence and watching the lights. He turned his head as Yugi stumbled in, sitting on his lap and still talking to his mom. "Can we each just open one?"

Yugi's mother paused before rolling her eyes. "Alright. But only one. The rest wait until tomorrow morning."

Atemu immediately reached out to grab his gift from Yugi, watching as Yugi hesitated before grabbing the one from Atemu. They both passed a smile between them before sitting back, carefully peeling the tape from the sides of the presents. They had worked hard wrapping these and would not destroy their hard work by tearing into the paper indiscriminately. Atemu noticed that Yugi had stopped to watch him, granting the teenager a smile before opening the box.

He drew out the chain that was nestled in the box, smiling at the charm that he found at the end. A little cobra reared up, a small disk on its head to represent the sun. Atemu held it up, watching the Christmas lights dance over the small charm. It ws the ureaus serpent, usually found on the crown of a Pharaoh for protection against evil. His fingers brushed over the charm, running over the serpent as he looked at Yugi.

Atemu smiled before undoing the clasp and pulling the necklace around his neck. He fumbled with the clasp behind his head for a moment before pulling his hands away, the charm settling into place. "Thank you, aibou."

Yugi nodded, finishing unwrapping his present to also find a small box. He opened it, smiling to himself as he stared at the gold chain and pendant attached to it. "Great minds think alike."

The teenager lifted the necklace out of the box, giggling when he saw the replica of the Millennium Puzzle. He immediately put it on, staring down at the small inverted pyramid that rested against his shirt. "Atemu, the pyramid is upside down."

"Nope. _That's_ the Millennium Puzzle, aibou." Atemu smirked, the expression lasting only a moment before he was tackled to the ground by Yugi, laughing as his aibou nearly squeezed the air out of him.

"Thank you, mou hitori no boku!"

"You're welcome." Atemu rocked back up, stilling holding Yugi close. He rested his chin on the teenager's shoulder, resting his hands on Yugi's stomach. The teenager sighed and leaned back against Atemu, one hand playing with the chain around his neck while the other rested over top of one of Atemu's hands.

"I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure what to get you. I almost got you a cartouche with your name engraved on it." Atemu blinked as Yugi paused for a while, trying to see the teenager's face. Yugi just turned his head away, Atemu catching the edge of a smile before the teenager spoke again. "But then I would be too temped to have them engrave kheker-nesu on it."

Atemu froze, his mind running over what Yugi had just said before giving a snort of disbelief. Yugi giggled, turning around in his hold so he was facing him, resting his hands on Atemu's shoulders. "What's that about, mou hitori no boku? I _am_ the King of Games and you are mine. My handsome pharaoh."

"Always yours." Atemu allowed Yugi to kiss him, waiting until Yugi had pulled back to deliver his rebuttal. "But I refuse to be simply an ornament."

"Of course, Atemu." He was distracted by another kiss, wrapping his arms around Yugi to draw him closer.

* * *

_I think my Egyptian mythology might be a little off there._

_Still, enjoy this first part of Christmas-y goodness. Criticism is always welcome.  
_


	4. Christmas Dinner

**Author's Note:** OMG is this continuity I see?! Yes, there is a mention of this happening in the short before this. And this is inspired by some of the Christmas parties that I had to go to, exaggerated of course, from years past. Yugi's mother's name was chosen at random, so there is no reason behind it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I just own the plot, what plot there is.

* * *

**Christmas Dinner**

Atemu leaned his head against the window of the car, watching the lights that passed by as they drove further out into the suburbs, playing absently with the charm around his neck. It was one of the things that he did like about the winter season, he could do without the cold. The lights were different from anything he had seen before and he often found himself sitting by the Christmas tree, just watching the lights and not thinking.

He turned away from the window as Yugi nudged him, snuggling closer and resting his head on Atemu's shoulder. The former pharaoh raised an eyebrow. "Aibou?"

"Nothing, Atemu." Yugi gave his head a small shake, turning his gaze out the window. "Watching the lights again?"

Yugi seemed to get endless amusement from his fascination with the colored lights that were everywhere. Atemu laughed and wrapped an arm around Yugi's waist. "Yes. What of it, aibou?"

"Nothing, mou hitori no boku." They both jerked forward a bit as Yugi's mother pulled into a free space near the driveway. Atemu steadied Yugi as they both unbuckled their seatbelts, both of them checking to see that their Duel Disks were stowed in the car before getting out. While they had both been forbidden to bring them into the gathering, they had brought them along in case.

Yugi took Atemu's hand as they began to walk up to the house, squeezing it before giving Atemu a smile. The former pharaoh gave Yugi a sideways glance, recognizing the look as the one Yugi gave to encourage him. He was about to ask the reason for the look when Yugi's mother knocked on the door to the house, the door swinging open a moment later.

"Shika!" Atemu blinked in surprise as a tall woman rushed out to hug Yugi's mother, a smile on her face. The woman looked over at them, the smile wavering for a moment before she stepped further outside. "Is that little Yugi? He's grown!"

Atemu went to step back, but found himself enfolded in a hug by a person he didn't know. He looked over his shoulder at Yugi, his eyes wide as the woman continued to talk to him. "Oh, I can't believe how much you've grown since the last time I saw you! You're not our little Yugi anymore, are you?" She pulled away, the smile still on her face. "How are you doing?"

"Uh…" Atemu wiggled out of the hold, slipping a bit on a patch of ice still left from the last snowfall. Yugi walked forward to steady him, the both of them noticing the confused look on the woman's face. Atemu stood upright, feeling Yugi move around him and stand in front of the woman.

"Hello."

"What?"

Yugi's mother walked back over, resting her hands on Yugi's shoulders. "This is Yugi."

The woman stood with her mouth open in awe for a long while before shaking her head, the disconcerting smile back on her face. "Come on in. Everyone else is here."

Atemu reached for Yugi's hand and gripped it like a lifeline, allowing himself to be pulled into the warm house. The first thing he noticed was the sheer amount of decorations inside. He peered around as they took their coats off, keeping close to Yugi the entire time. The two walked into the main room after toeing off their shoes, Atemu feeling more out of place as he saw the gathering of people.

There was no one their age; the closest ones being the infants that were being passed around and exclaimed over. People were sitting around in chairs and on couches in the main room, all holding drinks of some sort. Atemu looked over at the kitchen, catching a whiff of ham before he moved into the room. The woman who had answered the door was the one to introduce them, wrapping her arm around Yugi's mother's shoulders. "Everyone, you remember Shika and her son, Yugi."

A chorus of agreements followed, some of the people standing up to walk over to them. Once again, Atemu found himself pulled into hugs, even as he tried to push Yugi forward. He turned to look at Yugi over his shoulder, noticing that the teenager was drawing back against the nearest wall. Atemu pulled away from everyone before going to stand by Yugi, tensing at the comments that were directed his way mistakenly.

"He's grown up so much."

"That trip to Egypt did wonders for him."

"Still doing that card game thing?"

"Any luck with girls yet?"

"Aibou?" Atemu whispered the nickname, leaning against the wall closest to Yugi. The teenager smiled up at him, shifting so he was leaning against Atemu.

"Don't worry, I'm just a bit disappointed, but I'm used to the reaction. After all, you're the one they are used to seeing and you haven't started to be noticed, despite what Kaiba wants." They both laughed at that, Atemu's insistence to work his way back to the title that he once held, driving the brunette CEO crazy. "So, it's nothing new, mou hitori no boku."

Atemu gave Yugi a hug noticing that the members of the gathering were staring at them. The former pharaoh resisted the urge to shrug, ready to lead Yugi over to the kitchen to get a drink for them.

"Yugi, stay for a minute." Yugi paused at the request from his mother, Atemu taking a step more before turning to look back at his hikari. The former pharaoh saw the same, unspoken, request for him. He shifted before walking over to stand with Yugi. Yugi's mother smiled at both of them. "Thank you. Everyone, this is Atemu. He's Yugi's boyfriend. He's from Egypt."

There was silence as the members of Yugi's family took in the information, as simplified as it was. Atemu wrapped an arm around Yugi's waist at the glares that were leveled at him, ready to drag his aibou away from these people when one person in the back let out a laugh. "Stop staring at the poor boy like he's grown another head. Yugi, come and give me a hug."

Yugi pulled away from Atemu and bounded over to the person who spoke, wrapping his arms around his aunt with a smile. She pulled him into a hug, grunting a bit as she managed to lift him slightly from the ground. "You're getting too big for this, Yugi." The teenager was placed back on the ground, Yugi's aunt looking over him. "So, you should be in your senior year."

"Yep."

The both looked up as Atemu wandered over, Yugi reaching out for his hand to pull him closer. Yugi's aunt gave the former pharaoh a long look over before sitting back down in her seat. "So, about this boyfriend…"

Yugi groaned and rolled his eyes, his aunt laughing. "Yes, I am going to do this. You're my favorite nephew and it's in my rights." She settled into a more comfortable position. "So, Atemu, are you working?"

The former pharaoh shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Yes, I do help out in the shop. But I mostly focus on school."

"Same year as Yugi?"

"Same year."

"Good." Yugi's aunt leaned back, a calculating look on her face. "How did you meet?"

"I was…investigating some ruins and I ended up showing Yugi around a bit." Atemu stuck to the more believable story, watching Yugi out of the corner of his eye. His hikari was smirking at him from one side, apparently enjoying his plight. "I had always wanted to go another country and the opportunity presented itself. Yugi was an unexpected bonus."

Atemu sidestepped the elbow to his ribs that he knew was coming, smirking when Yugi nearly overbalanced with the move. His aibou glared at him before standing back upright, his aunt laughing at him. She calmed herself down before staring at him again. "Do you know about his status of King of Games?"

"As it stands." Atemu smirked at Yugi. "I intend to take it from him as soon as I can."

"Alright then." Yugi's aunt waved them away with a smile. "Don't think this is over. I'll come up with more questions for you Atemu. You will have to be very special for me to allow my nephew to date you."

Atemu nodded with a smile. "Your nephew is a very special young man."

He was about to take Yugi's hand and lead him away when Yugi's aunt pulled Yugi back, whispering something in his ear before letting him go. Yugi twitched before pulling away and rushing over to Atemu, resting his head against the former pharaoh's shoulder. "There are some things that people should _not_ know."

The former pharaoh raised an eyebrow before realizing what his hikari was referencing, and then he shivered. He heard Yugi's aunt start laughing behind their backs, Yugi turning around to shoot a disgruntled look at her before chuckling too. "Come on, mou hitori no boku, let's get something to drink and then find _something _to do."

* * *

Atemu absently played with his holiday themed cup, staring at the cards he held in his other hand. He glanced across the table at Yugi, finding his aibou looking equally as bored. The former pharaoh reached over for the small bowl of chips they had appropriated when they had retreated into this corner of the house, taking one and absently nibbling on it as he contemplated his move.

They had been here two hours. A half and hour in, he had found that Yugi had found a corner to hide in, avoiding his relatives. By an hour and a half into the gathering, they had broken out their decks and begun to play Duel Monsters. Ten minutes ago, the food was finally ready and being served, the members of the gathering rising to make sandwiches. Atemu glanced at is watch before pulling down his trap card, knowing that neither he nor Yugi were paying much attention to their favorite game.

The atmosphere at the gathering was slowly putting them to sleep, the adults ignoring them unless they had a question to ask Yugi. But, more often than not, they just glared at the teenager, as if that would make him become what they wanted faster. Atemu stared at the card that Yugi played, debating on whether or not he really wanted to get up and make another sandwich.

Both teenagers turned at the sound of the door opening, Yugi flinching back in his seat, a sure sign that the people that were coming in were not relatives. Sure enough, he was called out of his place of refuge to be paraded about, like the younger members of the family were. Atemu shook his head before taking both of their plates and making around round of sandwiches for the two of them. The less time they had to spend out and about, the better.

He nearly flopped back into his seat, catching himself at the last minute. It had been ingrained in his head for too long, the Pharaoh did not flop, he sat regally. Atemu sighed and returned Yugi's plate to his place, taking the chance to stare hard at the cards that were on the field and the cards in his hand.

While the games had rattled by at a fast pace before, he and Yugi, without paying attention, had managed to bring themselves to a stalemate. Atemu sighed and glared at his cards in the vain hope that something would appear that would take down Yugi's life points…assuming he knew how many his aibou had.

The former pharaoh sat up a little straighter and leaned over to the napkin that they were using to keep score, trying to read the untidy marks that were their calculations. He finally sorted out the ones from this duel and looked back at his hand, which was just as useless as before. Atemu sighed and reached for another chip, contemplating a strategy that could get him out of this.

"This looks bad." He looked up at the sound of the voice, smiling at Yugi's aunt. She was the only one that seemed civil enough. Atemu sat up a little straighter, blinking at her in confusion. Yugi's aunt laughed and crossed her arms. "I do follow my nephew when I get the chance, and I know a bit about the game from my other nieces and nephews. You've got a stalemate there. Got a way out?"

Atemu looked at his hand for a third time, the action reassuring him that his cards were just as useless. "Not yet."

Yugi's aunt pulled up a chair, leaning her arms against the table. "Yugi will be occupied for at least another ten minutes." She shook her head in disgust. "They're never proud about him unless they are bragging about what he has done."

Atemu nodded in agreement, carefully placing his hand to the side before reaching for his plate. "They don't know half of what he has done."

"So," Yugi's aunt broke the tense silence that had begun to form, "are you only dating Yugi because of his title or did you just tell me otherwise because he was there with you?"

The former pharaoh gave a snort of disgust. "Seeing as I am trying to take it away from him, through only legal means, why would I want to do that? Yugi means more to me than his title."

"Glad to hear it." She sat back a bit, looking at the door before reaching over the game for a chip. "Now, tell me how you are going to get out of this."

Atemu began to explain possible strategies, quickly stopping when Yugi dragged himself back over, the smile returning to his face when he noticed the food that was waiting for him. He leaned over the table to hug Atemu. "Thanks mou hitori no boku."

"You are welcome, aibou. It was your move, if I remember correctly."

Yugi smirked, leaning back in his seat. "Well, considering your track record, mou hitori no boku and your age, I would like a second opinion."

"I'm only a year older than you, aibou." Atemu glanced at Yugi's aunt, who was busy laughing.

The teenager shrugged. "You know what age does to you, Atemu." He peered down at the board before smiling, calmly laying a card on the field. "It's a shame. You had such a wonderful mind."

On his part, Atemu was staring at the card that had reduced his life points to zero. He saw Yugi's aunt try to get control of her laugher, leaning forward to stare at the field. "So, about those strategies…"

Atemu rolled his eyes and gathered his cards back into his deck, giving them a quick shuffle before, staring at Yugi. "Rematch."

"Whatever you say, Atemu." The former pharaoh smirked at the sparkle in Yugi's eyes. _This_ would be a duel worth playing. He drew his hand, looking over the cards and already plotting what he would do.

"I'll draw first."

* * *

Atemu gently lifted Yugi off of his seat, cradling the sleeping teenager close as they walked to the door. Not even a series of intense duels had been able to keep Yugi up after the gathering had hit three hours, the teenager falling asleep on Atemu when they had finally been dragged from their refuge to participate in the conversation. The former pharaoh shifted his precious burden, edging awkwardly out of the door as Yugi's mother bid their goodbyes.

It was halfway to the car when Atemu realized that he didn't have the keys to unlock the vehicle. And, with both of their coats draped over Yugi, he was very cold. The former pharaoh shivered out in the cold, holding Yugi close for the body heat that his aibou was giving off. A few minutes later, Yugi's mother came rushing over to unlock the car, Atemu almost diving in.

He managed to maneuver Yugi so the teenager was sitting upright before buckling him in, Yugi falling over to rest on his shoulder. Atemu adjusted the blankets over the teenager before turning his head to look at the lights that were still flashing.

"I can see why that's not fun for either of you, but thank you for coming." Atemu looked up as Yugi's mother spoke, returning the smile that she gave them. "It means a lot to me, especially since Yugi's father couldn't make it back for Christmas this year."

"You're welcome." His attention was drawn to Yugi as the teenager wiggled, seeking a more comfortable position, a soft sigh escaping him. Atemu leaned over to kiss Yugi on the forehead, smiling at the soft coo that his hikari gave. "Merry Christmas, aibou."

He got a content hum as a response, one of Yugi's arms draping over his stomach as Yugi tried to move closer. "My Pharaoh."

Atemu smiled, watching as the pendant that he had given Yugi glittered in the dim light, running a hand absently down Yugi's back. "Now and forever, aibou."

* * *

_Yay Christmas fluff!_

_Please read and review. Criticism is always welcome. And a Merry Christmas to all of you.  
_


	5. Contact

**Author's Note:** I am aware that this should have been the first one, but I didn't think it up until later. But I think that it's alright. This one was actually requested by Reena over on the Best Puzzleshipping Story Contest.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just the plot…what plot that there is.

Dedicated to Reena.

**

* * *

Contact**

Atemu jumped at the hand that rested on his shoulder, shaking him from the contemplation of what little of Egypt he had seen as they were traveling back to the boat. He smiled up at Yugi, their hands automatically reaching for the other. It was hard being separated from his aibou, the platonic contact barely enough to make up for what they had before their separation.

But it was better than the alternative.

He allowed himself to be led from the car, smiling at the sight of the boat that they had taken down here, giving Yugi's hand a squeeze. The two started for the boat, Atemu avoiding Ishizu's irritated glare.

She had wanted him to go to the afterlife, she had wanted him to fulfill his duty. But he had been Yami before Atemu, he had been mou hitori no boku before Pharaoh, and that still influenced his thinking. There were many wondrous things waiting for him in the afterlife, like the family he was just beginning to remember, but Yugi was worth more than those things, at least to him.

He couldn't just leave Yugi. He wasn't that strong. And Yugi had proved it by winning the duel, the choice to remain had been all his. All his strength and all his weakness in one brilliant move that still left him slightly in pain.

Atemu winced and rubbed his back, Yugi catching the move and looking worriedly at him. Atemu had been pushed away from the doors, landing hard on his back and getting the air knocked out of him. That had sent his friends into a panic, Yugi nearly hyperventilating when he would respond.

What followed was just sounds and shapes in Atemu's memory. Something about Yugi throwing himself at him sobbing his name and then the temple collapsing. He shook his head, sure that it would come back to him eventually. He had managed to hit his head pretty hard on landing.

They trooped up the ramp, both he and Yugi giving exhausted yawns. Solomon immediately began shooing them towards Yugi's cabin, Ishizu glaring at the two of them. Atemu sighed, motioning for Yugi to wait for him before walking over to the woman, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

Despite how tired it was, it worked, Ishizu backing down enough for her glare to disappear. He sighed, rubbing his aching head before looking up at her. "Ishizu…"

"Yes, my Pharaoh?"

"Just…" he shook his head, fumbling for the words in his exhausted mind, "leave it be. It was my choice, in the end."

Ishizu gave a slow nod, the expression on her face softening. "I know, my Pharaoh. But I was just hoping for it to end."

"You have no need to guard my tomb any longer."

"I know, but there is also Marik." They both turned to look at the blonde Egyptian, he and Ryou talking on the bow of the boat. Atemu looked back at Ishizu, tilting his head slightly to one side. "For his sake, I was hoping that this would end."

Atemu nodded in agreement before backing away, his hand reaching for Yugi before they both retreated into the cool shadows of the interior of the boat. The former pharaoh let his aibou lead him, nearly falling asleep on his feet as they moved.

It was Yugi that opened the door to their cabin before pulling Atemu over to the bed. He watched as Yugi walked back to the door, shutting it before flopping down onto the bed. Atemu smiled himself, falling backwards and curling towards Yugi.

They lay in silence for a while, Yugi hesitantly making the first move. He reached for Atemu, one hand caressing his cheek before Yugi pulled Atemu close to him with a strangled cry. Surprised, Atemu curled around his hikari, holding him close as Yugi trembled in the embrace.

He was still surprised he could do this, surprised that he could hold Yugi in the real world instead of the contact restricted to their souls alone. And it felt so good to be holding a solid body and know that it was real. That it was very real. "Aibou…"

"You almost…almost…" Atemu hushed him, moving them slightly so they were resting against the pillows, Yugi curling into a more comfortable position in his arms.

"Aibou, I was weak."

"No. No you weren't."

"Yugi." He tipped Yugi's head up, looking into Yugi's eyes with a smile. "I was. I wanted nothing more than to stay with you no matter what. And you were ready to let me go. _You_ were stronger than I was."

Yugi shook his head and wrapped his arms more tightly around Atemu, giving a long sigh of relief when the former pharaoh just held him closer. "At least you are here."

Atemu chuckled, his hand slipping down Yugi's side until he found a ticklish spot, rolling so that he was hovering above his aibou as he tickled Yugi into submission. The smaller teenager gave a squeal before we began writhing and laughing. Atemu laughed along with him, glad that he was able to still make Yugi happy.

This was his afterlife right here, free from the pressing need to save the world and able to spend time with Yugi. At least, he hoped that he wouldn't be saving the world soon. His new body probably wasn't up to it, considering how sore he was.

Atemu grunted as Yugi flailed, knocking the elbow of the arm that he was using to hold himself up with, making him fall on top of Yugi, their lips accidentally meeting. Atemu's eyes went wide before he felt Yugi shift under him, the smaller teenager's arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer.

It was his first kiss in this body, and it was totally accidental. But he didn't care, because it was Yugi and it was what he had wanted for so long.

He pulled back for air, trying to find the presence of mind to apologize, not sure what Yugi would make of it. Atemu was surprised when Yugi yanked him back down, having time to mutter, "Get back down here," before he was pulled into another kiss.

This one was anything but accidental, and so much better for it. They both pulled back, panting for air, Yugi nuzzling Atemu's chest. The former pharaoh looked down at his aibou, realizing that they had both skipped a step. Neither of them had admitted to their attraction to each other or, at least, his attraction to Yugi. Although it was safe to assume that Yugi liked him too from that reaction.

His aibou gave a yawn, Atemu smiling and reaching for the sheets that they had pinned under them. He pulled them from the bed, slipping both Yugi and himself under the sheets. Yugi gave a soft noise of protest, struggling to keep his eyes open. Atemu shook his head and kissed Yugi's forehead, enjoying the freedom to do that. "Not now, aibou. Just rest."

Yugi closed his eyes, Atemu soon following him into sleep.

* * *

Atemu woke first, aware that he was contorted into an awkward position, Yugi tangled up with him. His aibou was a bit slower to wake, frowning and trying to find sleep again before giving up the fight and opening his eyes. He smiled at Atemu before giving a small stretch and collapsing back on Atemu. The two stayed like that for a while before Yugi looked up at Atemu.

"About that kiss…"

"Yes, aibou?"

"Does it mean what I think it does?"

Atemu nodded, Yugi frowning at the lack of verbal confirmation, but Atemu was thinking things over. His natural hesitance to verbalize such a thing was coming back, created over four years of keeping his true feelings from Yugi. After all, he had been a dead spirit even before he had been the dead spirit of a pharaoh, but the distinction didn't really matter; he had been dead either way. And it wouldn't have been healthy for Yugi.

None of that mattered anymore, that thought making him smile.

"Aibou." Atemu pulled Yugi into a hug, cuddling him close. "It means that I love you."

He felt Yugi tense for a moment before the teenager relaxed, pulling him down for another kiss. This one was quick and chaste, Atemu rolling out of bed when Yugi pulled away, listening to his stomach rumble. Yugi laughed and hopped out after him, poking Atemu on the shoulder.

"You would have been a cheaper date if you still lived in my head. After all, I just had to eat and you could have sat there across from me. I guess I missed out on that chance." Yugi playfully stuck out his tongue at Atemu, getting a moment of freedom before Atemu tackled him to the floor, the two rolling around before the former pharaoh got the upper hand and began to tickle his hikari.

"Stop!" Yugi laughed, flailing as he tried to push Atemu away, the former pharaoh easily avoiding the less than coordinated blows. Yugi rolled over to his side, squealing as Atemu continued to tickle him, his shirt riding up. The former pharaoh took the chance to get to Yugi's sides without the barrier of fabric, Yugi collapsing onto the floor. "Yami!"

"Yes, little one?" Atemu got a fleeting glimpse of a frown, Yugi's usual reaction to the nickname he only used when teasing before he was writhing on the ground again. He smirked, leaning over Yugi as the teenager managed to flip himself over to his stomach, trying to protect himself from the continued assault. But that still left his sides open to attacks, which Atemu began immediately.

Yugi gave what sounded like a strangled scream, clawing at the floor as he tried to roll away from Atemu, only to find himself pinned to the floor by the former pharaoh. He turned his head, struggling to speak around his laughter. "No fair."

"No, perfectly fair, aibou."

Yugi pouted, the expression wiped off his face a moment later when Atemu returned to his task, tears of laughter running down Yugi's cheeks. Yugi twisted slightly, managing to bat one hand away from his side. Atemu smirked, using the hand that had been denied access to the ticklish spot to pin Yugi's hands above his head. The teenager writhed, still laughing. "No! Stop!"

"What do you say, aibou?"

"Please, Pharaoh…" The door suddenly swung open at that moment, Yugi and Atemu both looking up to see the astonished faces of their friends. If the situation hadn't been so awkward, Yugi laying on the floor on his stomach with Atemu basically lying over him, one hand pinning Yugi's to the floor and the other under his shirt, it would have been hilarious to take in all their faces and laugh over them. As it was Atemu looked over everyone quickly, blushing slightly.

Joey and Tristan had twin expressions of shock, Joey's mouth actually hanging open as his hand rested on the doorknob. Tèa's blue eyes were wide, her hands pressed over her mouth to either smother a gasp or laughter, Atemu couldn't quite tell in the one glance that he gave her. Ryou was blushing bright red, although he seemed to be less shocked and more relieved about something. Marik, on the other hand, was pouting outright, Atemu frowning at that before beginning to get up, pausing and the tentative question offered by Joey.

"Are we interrupting something, Yug'?"

"No!" Atemu found himself thrown to the floor as Yugi nearly jumped out of his grasp, his aibou standing up and quickly straightening out his clothes, realizing then that they both looked incredibly rumpled for having slept in their clothes.

He stood up slowly, stretching out his back and stopping when Seto walked past the door, the brunette CEO looking at all of them and at Yami and Yugi before storming off. Atemu had a moment to wonder why everyone was walking past _their_ cabin for no reason before his question was answered by Marik.

"Oh come on!" They all turned to look at the Egyptian, who was still pouting and now staring at the floor. "I thought the two of you would at least be doing something _interesting_ from the sounds you were making."

Yugi blushed a deeper red and walked over to the table, groaning and rested his head in his arms. Tèa, Joey and Tristan all edged away from Marik, looking distinctly uncomfortable as Ryou walked away from the group. Atemu heard a thump from the wall right by the door, followed by a soft exclamation that he could quite catch.

The combined stares seemed to catch Marik's attention because the Egyptian looked up in confusion. "What?"

Tristan gave a muttered, "That's sick, dude" before walking off, Joey and Tèa quickly following him. Marik shrugged, the motion interrupted part of the way through as Ryou grabbed onto his arm, nearly dragging him down the hall after the rest of the group.

Marik flailed in the grip of the British teen, whining the entire time. "But if we leave now they might actually _do_ something!"

"That's the point."

Atemu walked over and slammed the door shut at that, turning around to see Yugi still with his head buried in his arms. He stared at Yugi's shaking shoulders before clearing his throat. "Aibou?"

Yugi looked up at him, doing something between laughing and shaking with mortification. Atemu went over to hug his hikari, stopping as Yugi straightened up, staring at the closed door. "How could they…Did they really…Argh!"

His head went back down onto the table, Atemu watching his hikari with a bit of worry in his eyes. The former pharaoh went to step forward when Yugi looked up again, running a hand through his hair with a nervous chuckle. "I mean, you _just_ got your body and it wouldn't be right."

Atemu crossed his arms and leaned back against the door, trying to understand the point Yugi was trying to make. The teenager paced across the small cabin three times before sitting on the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. Yugi finally looked up, shaking his head. "I mean, we've only loved each other for…"

"Four years." Atemu held up four fingers to underline his point, Yugi seeming to hesitate at the evidence given to him, staring at the fingers before blushing and looking down at his hands.

"It's been three for me."

Atemu shrugged and crossed the room, kneeling in front of Yugi and resting his hand on Yugi's leg. His aibou cautiously looked at him, Atemu smiling. "Of course, for a while it was just hero worship."

"What?!"

Atemu stood up, sitting beside Yugi on the edge of the bed. Yugi hesitated for a moment before turning, crossing his legs and sitting on the bed properly, Atemu following his lead. The former pharaoh didn't speak for a while, just sitting and looking at Yugi before he sighed. "Before you even knew that I existed, I was just so happy that you had freed me from the Puzzle that I loved you for doing that, without any real reason. I never fell out of love actually, just deeper in."

"But…" Yugi stared at him for a while before ducking his head. "I don't know what to do, especially when you say that. Because we were really close, literally, for four years and now…and now…"

"Now what?"

"Exactly!" Atemu stared at Yugi for a long moment, the teenager staring back before bursting into laughter, shaking his head. Atemu blinked, unable to comprehend what his aibou was talking about even as Yugi fell backwards laughing. Atemu crawled forward, resting over Yugi as he laughed.

"Aibou?" Yugi sat up slightly, wrapping one arm around Atemu's neck and exerting a gentle pressure.

"I just realized that we shouldn't be worrying about this." Yugi smiled at him, leaning up slightly to kiss Atemu's neck. "We've already survived longer than most couples do at our age."

"I highly doubt that one of them is seventeen and the other is three thousand years old, aibou." His dry tone got another laugh out of Yugi, the teenager pulling him down so Atemu was resting flush against him. The former pharaoh gave a gasp of surprise before Yugi silenced it with a kiss.

Atemu smiled and hugged Yugi close, rolling the both of them over so they were resting on their sides. The teenager snuggled close to Atemu, frowning after a moment. "Now I'm hungry."

The former pharaoh laughed before letting Yugi up, sliding off the bed and heading for the door. "Come on, aibou, I can't have you starving on me."

"Of course not." Yugi rushed past him, opening the door and bolting down the hall. Atemu simply walked out of the door and looked in the direction that Yugi had gone, shaking his head before heading off in the opposite direction.

"Ishizu said that the galley was this way, aibou!" Atemu called the words over his shoulder, continuing to walk. He smirked at the sound of running footsteps, counting down until Yugi rushed past him, ready for the jerk that would come as the teenager took his hand and kept running. Atemu gave a sigh before breaking into a jog to keep from falling himself, just listening to Yugi's laughter.

* * *

_Sorry, Marik just snuck in there…again._

_Read and review please. Criticism is always welcome._


	6. Without Yugi

**Author's Note:** Okay, I guess I'm officially saying that these guys live in America, especially since I had them celebrating Thanksgiving, but I don't want to give up their little nicknames for each other, I find it cute, so they stay. This originally came out as Atemu having to deal with a cold, but with a twist. Instead, it's turned into Atemu dealing with his first day without Yugi. Let's see how that goes. ;)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just parts of the plot…what plot there is.

**

* * *

Without Yugi**

"Atemu." The former pharaoh turned around at the sound of his name, his eyes sneaking back up to the stairwell without his permission. He forced himself to look away from the stairs and at Solomon, trying to keep his focus on the elderly man. Solomon gave him a smile, beginning to shoo him away from the stairs. "You're going to be late for school."

"But, aibou-"

"Will be coming along shortly." Atemu tried to move past Solomon, surprised that the elderly man was so intent on getting him out of the house. The vague sense of worry that had growing all morning hit him in full force, the former pharaoh trying to dodge around Solomon, but the elderly man blocked him still, Atemu forced down the stairs into the game shop.

"Grandpa-"

"Yugi is having a slow morning. He'll catch up to you later."

He knew that Yugi had those types of mornings, but this was pushing it too far. Atemu looked over his shoulder, blinking in confusion as he saw Tèa standing outside with his backpack flung over one shoulder. The confusion that her appearance caused was enough to allow Solomon to open the door and push him out.

Atemu stumbled out onto the sidewalk, staring at the closed door before trying to walk back inside the house, only to have his arm grabbed by Tèa. He stared at his friend, about to ask her what was happening when she began to walk away. Atemu started and dug his heels into the ground, straining against her hold to get back to the shop.

He had a single heady moment of victory before Tèa began easily pulling him along behind her. Atemu stared at the game shop, numb for a moment before he began to struggle. Something was going on and he had to figure it out. Yugi was usually never this late, even on the mornings where he seemed to drag himself around.

Atemu fought against the hold that Tèa had on his arm, never quite breaking free. He turned to glare at the brunette, wanting nothing more to send her to the Shadow Realm for keeping him away from his hikari, even though he no longer possessed those powers.

"Ow! Atemu, calm down!" He glared at Tèa for a moment, his struggles stopping and allowing them to travel a bit more before he lunged forward, breaking free of her hold. The former pharaoh gave a short laugh, sprinting back in the direction of the game shop. Something was wrong with Yugi and he would figure it out. Behind him, Tèa called, "Atemu, get back here!"

He was about to deliver a well thought out retort when he ran into someone, hearing a familiar grunt before hands grabbed his arms. Atemu glanced up, his heart sinking as he saw that Joey and Tristan were holding onto him. He gave a weak wiggle, wincing when the hands tightened their grip on his arms.

"So, was he right?" Atemu turned his head to look over his shoulder as Joey spoke, wincing at the awkward angle. They had to be talking about Yugi, his gut feeling had never lied to him before.

He gasped as Tèa nodded, the instinctive feeling of wrongness coming back full force. He tried to jerk forward, giving a frustrated scream as Tristan and Joey adjusted their holds and began to drag him down the street. Atemu struggled against their grips, what little patience that he had wearing thin quickly.

He began to struggle in earnest, even trying to kick their knees, narrowing his eyes when the two guys easily kept him moving. Finally, he scored a hit on Joey, his victorious smile disappearing when Joey gave his arm and extra hard yank. Atemu scowled, realizing that he wouldn't be let go that easily, but he still tried. "Traitors!"

Atemu was literally dragged into the schoolyard, not caring about the stares it brought, still cursing the three that had managed to drag him away from his aibou. He was vaguely aware of being pulled into the school building and being handed off to Joey, Tèa still walking ahead and carrying his backpack.

They dragged him into the classroom, Joey having to force him into his seat, throwing Atemu his backpack. The former pharaoh grunted as it hit his stomach, curling around the bag for a moment while he tried to get his breath back before he looked up to glare at Joey and Tèa. Surprisingly, Tèa was the only one to stand up to the glare, matching his with one of her own before going to sit in her own seat, Tristan entering the room a moment later.

And now he was trapped. Atemu nearly threw his backpack to the floor, leaning forward to rest his head in his arms. With class almost starting it would be impossible to sneak out and he bet that none of his friends would let him leave. A sideways glance at Joey showed that he was watching him.

The former pharaoh sat up as the teacher came in, beginning to work on automatic while feeling the stares of his friends on him. Atemu pulled out his notebook, taking notes and slipping into hieratic as he wrote, a habit that he had yet to break. But his thoughts were far away from the history lesson, back at home with his aibou.

Slowly, the time moved forward, Atemu getting more jumpy with every second. His gaze kept straying to the door and then to the seat that Yugi usually occupied. Yugi should have been here by now. Actually, he should have been here before the lesson even started. Atemu stared at the seat that Yugi occupied for a few minutes longer before looking back at his notes, realizing that they were a mess of hieratic and his own version of shorthand. He dropped his pen on the paper and sat back, not paying attention as he let himself worry.

Yugi should have been here by now, he knew that his aibou had been awake. Yugi had been the one to push him from the bed this morning, but Atemu hadn't seen him since then. And then Solomon had been very eager to get him out of the house and his friends were very eager to keep him away.

Atemu glanced at the clock, calculating how long until lunch and nearly groaning as he realized that it would be hours. But, hopefully, his friends would have stopped watching him so carefully. Satisfied with his plan, Atemu went back to taking notes.

* * *

There was the soft sound of panting, the figure looking carefully around before making his next sprint. If all went well, he would be out of here soon. A smile crossed his face as he ran for the wall, almost tasting freedom.

"There he is!"

The teenager looked over his shoulder, heart sinking as a blonde and a brunette raced towards him, both faster than him. But he wasn't going down that easily. He tried to put on a burst of speed, dismayed when they still easily caught up with him, tackling him to the ground. He hit the ground with a muffled grunt of pain, wondering how his plan had gone wrong before the two began to drag him back. His head shot up as the motion, trying to grab a hold of something to keep them from succeeding. Unfortunately, the school yard was bare of any good handholds. Frustrated, the teenager resorted to plan B. Which involved shouting as many insults as them as he knew, most in a language that they would never understand.

Still, it made him feel better.

"Stupid sons of jackels, let me go!"

* * *

Atemu ran home, finally being released from his captors. He was annoyed that it was only now that he was allowed to leave, Joey and Tristan following him around all day, even at lunch. He still had bruises on his sides from where they had tackled him to the ground. He rubbed one aching side while running, flinching at the light pressure.

That had hurt his pride more than his body, mostly because he had been dragged back into the school instead of allowed to stand up. Now he knew how those people that his guards had tackled to the ground had felt. He briefly wondered what his priests and family would have thought if they had seen him today, that thought not having the usual stabilizing effect. He was still too worried about Yugi.

Atemu jogged around a corner, growling with frustration when he realized that he was still a good distance away from the game shop, as his sides were beginning to hurt. The former pharaoh slowed reluctantly to a quick walk, panting for air. He really thought he was in better shape than this. Atemu shook his head, eyeing a street light that marked the place where he would start running again, forcing his body into motion again. He kept running, his backpack knocking against his back with every step, the edge of ones of his books digging into his back as well. Atemu winced, knowing that there would be another bruise there, but that was just a minor thing right now.

The former pharaoh breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the game shop up ahead. He was almost there, the thought making him speed up. Atemu opened the door into the store portion of the house, the door nearly slamming shut behind him.

Solomon looked up from the counter, a smile on his face as he saw Atemu. The former pharaoh gave a quick nod before jogging up the stairs into the living room, pulling his backpack from his shoulders as he ran up to the room that he and Yugi shared.

The backpack was dropped the floor, Atemu kicking it out of the way of the door and looking at the bed, his mouth dropping open when he realized that the bed was empty. The former pharaoh stared at the bed, slowly realizing that the blanket that usually rested on top of the sheets was missing.

He turned and rushed back down the stairs to the living room, relaxing when he saw the television was on. Atemu slumped a bit and walked over to the couch, smiling when he saw that Yugi was curled up under his blanket on the couch. What worried him was the amount of time that it took Yugi time to respond.

"Hey, mou hitori no boku." Atemu winced at the raspy voice, quickly moving around to kneel in front of Yugi. His aibou lifted his head from the large Kuriboh pillow that he was using, giving a weak smile before coughing again, leaning back with a groan.

Yugi's eyes were slightly hazy and his face covered with a faint flush. Atemu swallowed nervously, his mind supplies memories of plagues in Egypt with few survivors, yelping the next minute as Yugi slapped him lightly on the arm. "I'm not dying. I've just got a cold."

Yugi wrapped the blanket slightly tighter around himself, shuffling down until his head was only visible above his nose. Atemu would have laughed at the moment if Yugi hadn't been trying not to cough. He settled on the floor, leaning back on his hands since Yugi was using both of his hands to hold the blanket around him. His aibou got his cough under control and moved his head out of the blanket, looking down at Atemu.

"I heard Grandpa trying to get you out of the house this morning." Atemu winced, looking away at the soft chuckle that Yugi gave. He heard the teenager shift, now sitting up instead of lying down. "Did you give the others trouble on your way to school?"

Atemu gave a reluctant nod, knowing that Yugi would hear it from the others anyway. He relaxed as he felt Yugi lay a hand on his shoulder, leaning into the contact. "I couldn't tell you."

The former pharaoh turned around quickly. "Why not?"

"Because you wouldn't have left me alone for a second." Yugi gave a slow smile. "I would have been mothered by you and Grandpa. Believe me, Grandpa is enough. Do you know how long it took me to convince him to let me sit down here for you?"

"Uh…"

"All day." Yugi shook his head, reaching forward to grab the juice he was drinking. "Honestly, I attract the most overprotective people in the world."

"That's not what you end up attracting the most of, aibou…" Atemu raised his hands over his head as Yugi hit him over the head with the Kuriboh pillow.

"I'm sick, mou hitori no boku, be nice."

"You're not behaving sick."

"I've been sleeping when I haven't been trying to convince my grandfather that I wouldn't suddenly get worse by moving downstairs so I could be awake for most of the time that you were home!" Another whack with the pillow before Yugi slumped backwards, glaring at the television. Atemu let his aibou stew for a moment before cautiously peeking up from the floor, trying to look pitiful.

"I'm sorry, aibou."

"Forgiven. I would hug you but…" They both nodded, Atemu standing up and stretching before looking at the clock. They had a few hours until dinner, which he usually used to do his homework, but he didn't feel like leaving Yugi alone on the couch.

Promising to be right back, Atemu jogged upstairs before returning with his backpack, settling on the ground by Yugi as his aibou switched off the television just as the screen was panning across the pyramids. They both shared a strained smile, both remembering the horrible inaccuracy with which some programs showed the Ancient Egyptian culture with. Atemu dug through his backpack, searching for his notebook.

"Hey, Atemu." Yugi was leaning over the couch. "I could probably do the homework and turn it in through you…if you let me borrow your notes."

The notebook was passed up without a second thought, Atemu pulling the required book for his literature class out and shaking his head. The people in his class thought he was overly cynical, but he just demanded good literature. Odysseus, in his opinion, was proving to be a very poor leader. Plus Menelaus' story about his adventures in Egypt always made him angry for some reason.

They settled to their work, Yugi using a blank page torn from the notebook and what Atemu had written down as their assignments to work on his missed homework while Atemu attempted to keep an open mind about Odysseus. He still thought the crew should have mutinied before they had even left Troy.

"Atemu…" He happily turned away from the book he was reading, looking at Yugi. His aibou had a look of confusion on his face, flipping from one page to another. Finally, Yugi lowered the notebook to his level, pointing at one word. "What does this say?"

He stared at the odd mix of hieratic and English, finding the word that Yugi was pointing at and trying to decode his own handwriting. Atemu sat back with a nod before going back to his book. "It says except."

"Oh," Yugi settled back, obviously still staring at the word, "I thought it said abridged."

"Aibou, that is nothing like except."

"I know."

They fell back into a companionable silence for a few more minutes before Yugi spoke up again. "You know, mou hitori no boku, I think I figured the real reason that you ceased to be the Pharaoh." Atemu blinked and turned to look at Yugi again, waiting for the continuation of his initial sentence. "No one could read your handwriting."

* * *

_I know that the pharaohs had scribes to write for them, but it's still a funny joke. Also, I wonder why no one ever has Atemu accidentally writing in hieratic or hieroglyphics when his mind wanders considering that he learned that before coming to the modern world. *shrugs*_

_Read and review please. Constructive criticism is always welcome._


	7. The True Story

**Author's Note:** This actually kind of came out of the Twilight obsession that people are going through now. So, that's how this was born plus two other ideas, one being the reaction of Atemu to the public's view of how Egypt was and the fact that Marik wanted to come back in to taunt the Pharaoh. So, without further ado, enjoy the monster that I have created here.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, I just own the idea for the monstrosity of the show and what little plot there is.

**

* * *

The True Story**

"Come on, it's ready to start!" Atemu emerged from the kitchen, carrying a six pack of soda in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other, carefully picking his way through the people who had gathered over at the Mutou's. He stepped over Joey and placed the sodas and the popcorn on the table, glancing at the clock before he flopped into his spot by Yugi.

"Aibou, it doesn't start for another five minutes."

"I know." Yugi was bouncing excitedly in place, Atemu having to physically hold him down before scanning the room.

Joey and Tristan were sprawled on the floor with one bowl of popcorn between them. Duke leaned against the coffee table, occasionally reaching over to steal a handful of popcorn from Joey and Tristan. Solomon was occupying one of the chairs, Professor Hawkins sitting in a fold up chair that had been brought from the storeroom. Mai, Rebecca and Tèa were occupying the other chair, Rebecca and Mai sitting on the armrests. Beside Yugi on the sofa was Ryou and Bakura, the thief squished into the armrest. Uncomfortably close to Atemu, Marik sat on the other armrest. Ishizu and Odion were also in the room, the former leaning against the back of the chair that the girls were on and the latter standing behind the sofa.

Mokuba and Kaiba were the few from their close circle of friends who were not there, but Mokuba had promised that he would make his older brother watch the premiere of the show. Atemu secretly thought that Seto would watch it anyway, considering the content.

Ishizu had announced the formal 'discovery' of his tomb about six months ago, the first thing she had done as soon as she had bid them farewell at the airport. The news of the discovery had taken the world by storm, the formerly nameless Pharaoh catching the imaginations of people everywhere. Theories had sprung up quickly, most of the consumer products taking advantage of the sudden interest in Ancient Egypt.

This was the most recent thing and, in Atemu's view, the most interesting one to come out. Because of the popularity of the story, a television show about him had been picked up by one of the major networks and was scheduled to premiere. The one nagging worry, the fact that Ishizu had not been consulted as one of the experts of the legend of the Nameless Pharaoh, was easy squashed as he focused on the television.

The current show rolled its credits, the trailer for the newest show the focus of the group, encouraging cheers, Atemu's turning into a yelp as Yugi grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Atemu leaned forward and grabbed a handful of popcorn, the room filled with demands to be quiet as the credits stopped, the show beginning. Atemu settled back, ready to watch as there was a pan across the Pyramids.

* * *

There was absolute silence as the credits rolled, Atemu sure that the sound of a pin dropping would have been heard. Unfortunately it was broken by two noises in quick succession. The first was Marik's laughter. The second was a loud thud as Marik fell off his perch.

The Egyptian clambered back up, holding onto his sides as he laughed hysterically, finally taking in a huge gulp of air and pointing at Atemu. "You should see your face, Pharaoh."

Atemu blinked, turning to glare at Bakura as the thief started laughing. "It's true, Pharaoh. That face is priceless."

He snorted and crossed his arms across his chest, sinking a bit further down into his seat. He looked around the room, taking the horrified looks on Ishizu, Odion, Professor Hawkins and Solomon's faces. Joey and Tristan had sat up and were looking between the television and Duke.

Duke was the one to finally speak. "I'm guess that it was wildly inaccurate."

"That doesn't even begin to describe it." Atemu shook his head, one hand raking through his hair as he sat up. "One, I did not look like that."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." Bakura smirked, pulling Ryou onto his lap. Atemu thought that he move was well calculated because Yugi wouldn't allow him to attempt to kill Bakura with Ryou between them. The thief raised an eyebrow at him before continuing. "I don't remember you having that hair, or that style of clothing…oh, and you were short."

Atemu almost growled at that, shooting a glare at the television at it began to air the trailer for the next episode. He narrowed his eyes at the man they had chosen to play him, the man dressed in a ridiculous amount of gold and a shenti that looked like it was made of cloth of gold, something that they hadn't even had in his day, at least not to wear like that. The man also had short black hair, although his hair was long enough to be obviously gelled up into spikes at the front.

"That height thing…" Joey let his comment trail off, all of them looking at the tanned and muscled man that was standing on the screen, speaking to the people, at least six feet tall.

Atemu pouted, trying to glare evenly at Marik and Bakura. "I was the average height for people in that time. Unfortunately, I was surrounded by tall people, so I looked short."

"Sure, Pharaoh, sure." Atemu growled at Bakura before resuming his count down.

"Two, I did not have an accent that sound almost British. Bakura is the only one that sounds like that." The jibe was rewarded with a smack by Ryou as Bakura reached out to hit Atemu. "Three, I never bandied about the name of Ra like that. 'Ra damn you', really?"

"I don't know. I was amused by the love interest." Marik leered at Atemu before glancing at Tèa. "What do you think, Tèa?"

"I think I want to kill her."

"Oh come on, Tèa, she's basically you back then."

"I know." Tèa winced, Mai patting her one the shoulder with a sympathetic smile. "It's actually quite scary. If I ever start talking about friendship and love like that, you all have permission to smack me."

There were nods from the rest of the boys, Atemu turning to look at Yugi. His aibou had remained quiet for the entire time. The teenager was slowly shaking his head, reaching forward to turn the television off. "Seriously?"

"What, aibou?"

"Senet? Is that all they could come up with for a name? That isn't even a name?! They got your name right!" He leaned against Atemu with an unhappy sigh. "I already see how the season finale is going to play out."

"How?"

"Senet is going to die and Atemu will be heartbroken because he just lost his best friend. That…woman, will comfort him and Atemu will be ready to fight the main bay guy, whoever he is." Yugi groaned and shook his head. "They're gonna kill me off at the end of the season."

"At least you're the right size, shrimp." Atemu shot a look at Bakura a glare before they all stood up, most of the people there getting ready to leave for their own houses except for Professor Hawkins and Rebecca, they were staying with them.

Atemu and Yugi stood by the door, saying goodbye to everyone, Atemu having to practically shove Bakura and Marik out. Yugi was the one to shut the door again, nearly sliding down the surface before he pushed away and wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck. "I think I need help forgetting about that."

"I think I could help you with that." Atemu scooped Yugi up into his arms, heading for their bedroom.

His aibou snuggled into his arms, resting his head against Atemu before suddenly pulling it up with a frown on his face. "If you call me Senet, it's off."

Atemu nodded, understanding Yugi perfectly.

* * *

Atemu collapsed into his seat in first period, blinking in surprise as a group of girls walked up to him, looking over at Yugi for support before looking back at them, leaning forward. Their leader gave a nervous giggle before speaking. "Did you see Land of the Pharaoh last night?"

He resisted the urge to groan, just nodding. The girl gave a muffled squeal. "I remember that you said that you were closely related to the pharaohs. Since your names are the same, are you related to him."

Atemu could only nod, staring at the girls with incomprehension as they began talking quietly amongst themselves. He shook his head looking up and waving at Tèa as she came in, the girls turning to look at letting out another series squeals.

Tèa was pulled over to them as Atemu was pulled to his feet, the two pushed together by the girls, both of them too surprised to react. The girls gave another group squeal, Atemu and Tèa looking at each other before beginning to move away from each other as the leader of the group began to speak again. "Oh my Ra, they're so cute together. It's like destiny."

At those words, Atemu and Tèa exchanged panicked looks, Tèa rushing for her seat as Atemu dove for his own, pulling Yugi close to him, accidentally slipping into Egyptian. "Mery-i?"

Yugi just gave a nod, nearly knocking Atemu out of his seat as he threw himself at the former pharaoh, kissing him for all he was worth. Both Atemu and Yugi looked at the corner of their eyes at the girls, relaxing a bit as they all groaned and wandered off, reminded that Atemu was already taken.

The two pulled away, panting for air before climbing back into their seats. "Thanks, aibou."

"No problem. I have a feeling that I may have to remind them today who you belong to." Atemu nodded vaguely before pulling out his notebook as the teacher walked in, praying to any gods that were listening that the show would be cancelled quickly.

* * *

Atemu ran into the game shop, quickly moving to hide behind the counter. Solomon looked down at him before glancing out the window. "They after you again."

"Yes." Atemu hissed out the word, peeking around the corner before ducking back in. He nudged the bags of groceries out of the way with his foot, pressing his back against the counter and taking deep breaths.

In the two weeks since the show had come out, the girls had become even more outrageous in their attempts to get Tèa and him together or for him to repeat lines from the show, especially since they were reminded that he could speak Egyptian, Atemu cursing himself for his nervous habit of slipping into his native language when he was in a panic. In the Mutou household it was often overlooked because they were used to it, but the outside world found it fascinating.

"They're gone." Atemu nodded his thanks before walking upstairs with the groceries, smiling as he heard voices from the living room. He rushed into the kitchen, beginning to put the food away. He balled up the bags and tossed them in the recycling bin before walking into the living room, pretending to be stern.

"I am pretty sure that I didn't have a Brooklyn accent either." The three sitting on the ground in front of the television turned around to look at him, Yugi giving a wave.

"Then you should have gotten hear earlier."

Atemu went over and sat on the sofa, watching the commercials room. "I'm sorry, aibou, I got chased by my adoring fans."

"You haven't missed much." Tèa looked back at the television, motioning the rest of them into silence as the show came back on, the television muted. Atemu smirked and leaned forward, watching carefully as there were a series of tasteful pans over the 'Egyptian desert'.

He found himself looking forward to these little sessions that they had started, gathering at one of their houses to make fun of the popular show, each taking a part and basically dubbing them over, which made for many jokes that just couldn't be explained when the fans of the show would talk.

Atemu smiled at Yugi as the camera panned into the palace, showing Senet and the Pharaoh walking down a hallway. Atemu smirked and slid to the floor, wrapping his arms around Yugi's middle the shorter teen spoke. "My Pharaoh, I would absolutely die if you didn't take me now!"

"How could I deny a request like that, aibou?"

"Atemu!" All three males winced as Tèa imitated the leading lady's high pitched voice perfectly. "Wait for me, my love. You cannot possibly do anything without the powers of love and friendship."

They all had to pause to laugh, Atemu finally gaining enough breath to speak with his character spoke. "Threesome!"

Yugi slapped his shoulder, still laughing. "Pervert."

* * *

_I think I enjoy giving Atemu these little quirks too much._

_Read and review please. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated._


	8. Back to School

**Author's Note:** Here's the obligatory Atemu's first day at school one-shot. The first four royal names are stolen from Tutankhamun, which I think is alright since Atemu could have been based on King Tut and because I don't trust myself in making them up. I'm not that good with the Egyptian language (read that as not at all).

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just bits of the plot…what plot that there is.

* * *

**Back to School**

This is what he had felt like when he had become Pharaoh for the first time. Not the time when they had gone into the memory world, then he had just been confused and a bit overwhelmed. Actually he was feeling confused and overwhelmed at this moment too. Atemu shifted nervously, glancing over at Yugi before stepping into the office, relaxing only when Yugi followed him.

He was eternally grateful that Yugi was there, a steadying presence as he moved on into this new world. He needed his aibou more than ever now.

The door shut behind them, the sound suddenly ominous. Like a tomb being shut for the final time. That was probably a bit over dramatic, but his nervous mind was producing all sorts over unhelpful connections at the moment.

He would have been happy to help Solomon in the shop, but both he and Yugi's mother had ganged up on him, so here he was back in school. Of course he was excited in a way, but more scared that excited. Atemu wanted nothing more than to run back home to the game ship and hide. He still didn't understand parts of the modern world and his memories were still filtering back.

He found that he was frozen in place, Yugi gently touching his shoulder before walking forward and leaning against the desk, smiling at the secretary. "Good morning. I've got a new student here."

She smiled at Yugi before looking at Atemu, the former pharaoh sincerely hoping that he didn't look as scared as he felt. The woman looked down, shuffling through papers before looking up at Yugi again. "And this is…"

"Atemu Yami." The name had been a spur of the moment thing, Atemu not wanting to sound like he was related to his boyfriend. He hadn't minded the offer to become a Mutou, in fact, he had been honored. It meant a lot to him, especially after going so long without his own name.

A jerk on his arm brought him back to himself, Yugi giving him another gentle tug before leading him out into the hall. Apparently, he had spaced out, missing the end of the exchange between the secretary and Yugi. A piece of paper was shoved into his hand, Atemu staring at the schedule in front of him without comprehension. He swallowed before forcing himself to just focus.

The small portion of confidence that he had gained vanished when he walked into his first period class, staring at the teenagers who were lazing about. Yugi gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking to his seat, Atemu resisting the urge to rush over and drag him back to the front of the room with him. He _needed_ Yugi up here with him.

Here and now he wasn't a spirit locked away in a hunk of gold. He couldn't just act however he wished because this was permanent and he could be seen. The modern world and all its components still baffled him at times, and Yugi was the only thing he could count on.

Of course the others were always there for him, but Yugi was different. Yugi was his _aibou_.

After what felt like an eternity of deliberating, he just reverted back to his old confidence, shoving everything that he was worrying about to a corner of his mind to ponder over later. He could survive like this, he was just acting the part of the Pharaoh again, strong and confident. He would break where no one would see him.

Atemu walked over to the teacher's desk, the man looking up from the book he was reading as he waited for school to officially start. The man looked between him and Yugi for a moment in surprise, Atemu already hyperaware of the glances from the class and the whispers. The teacher seemed to get over his surprise, sitting up. "You the new kid?"

Atemu nodded, the teacher sighing and looking at the clock before standing up. "Class this is-" He was cut off by the bell, Atemu jumping slightly at the unexpected sound. He glanced over at the clock before scanning the room, using the distraction to look over the class. When the sound stopped, the teacher continued. "This is our newest student, Atemu Yami. Ask him a few questions now, because I doubt that anyone else will let you."

The former pharaoh looked out over the class, suddenly feeling like he was making a great announcement to his kingdom. He sent up a quick prayer to the gods, not specifying but hoping that one of them would have mercy on them. As the first question came up, Atemu felt that they had heard him. "Where are you from?"

"Egypt."

"Cool, are you related to the pharaohs?"

Atemu blinked, slightly taken aback by the question. His gaze drifted over to Yugi, noticing that his aibou was having a hard time control his laughter. The former pharaoh sighed. "Very closely related."

There were mutters from around the classroom, Atemu looking back at the teacher to see if he could bring this session to an end. Unfortunately, he just gestured for it to continue. Atemu sighed and glanced back over the classroom, preparing himself for the next question.

"Are you related to Yugi?"

He was sure that he had paled with that question, Yugi looking equally as sickened by it. Atemu shook his head, speaking quickly. "No. We just happen to look alike."

"Where do you live?"

"I'm staying with Yugi. His family generously offered me a place to stay while I experience a new culture."

"Hey, does that mean you know a bit of Japanese since Yugi is Japanese?"

"A bit."

"Can you speak it?"

"Yugi's much better at it."

"Do you wear contacts?"

"No, this is my natural eye color. My hair is also naturally like this." He gestured at his head, thankful that he had avoided another question.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Atemu blinked at the dreamy sighs that followed that question, suddenly unsure if he should answer that or not. He glanced at all the hopeful female faces and suddenly felt bad for animals at an auction.

"No." He was sure there were a few smothered cheers. Atemu shook his head and spoke again. "But I am spoken for."

The guys in the classroom relaxed even as the girls all looked depressed. To Atemu's relief, the teacher sat up and gestured at one last person. "Last one and then we have to move on."

"Can you speak Egyptian?"

"Yes."

"And write it?" Atemu nodded, the person who had spoken up sitting up eagerly. "Could you show us?"

The former pharaoh spun around, grumbling under his breath before going up to the board, hesitating for a moment before deciding to write in hieroglyphics so they wouldn't protest that they were being cheated. Atemu sighed before quickly scrawling out the symbols, not even trying to be a precise as usual because the teenagers wouldn't be able to tell if he was right or wrong.

"Ka-nakht tut-mesut Nefer-hepu segereh-tawy sehetep-netjeru nebu Wetjes-khau sehetep-netjeru Nesu-bity Nebkheperu-re Atemu wishes to send all the girls who are looking at him like he is a prized bull to the Shadow Realm, if his caring and loving partner would allow him to take such an action in the first place."

He dropped the piece of chalk back into place, looking over his work and shrugging before walking to the open seat close to Yugi. As he passed the shorter teenager, Yugi shot a glare at him, shaking his head and mouthing no. Atemu shrugged, speaking in Egyptian just to frustrate the people around them. "I live in eternal hope."

Atemu settled into his seat, watching the teenagers peer up at the board as they tried to read what he had written. The teacher put an end to the staring when he walked up to the board and erased the hieroglyphs, picking up the chalk and beginning to lecture. Atemu relaxed the more the man talked, absently taking notes. He felt that the worst was over with.

* * *

Atemu was the first of his friends to arrive to their usual lunch spot on the roof, a fact that was surprising to him, considering he had to limp up the flights of stairs. He winced as he went to sit down, still sore from his gym class, one of the two classes he didn't share with Yugi. The former pharaoh gave a hiss of pain as he sat down, using the fence around the roof as support.

He wanted to curse himself for his competitive streak. He should have known that the gym teacher would put him through his paces. And, as usual, he took that as a challenge and pushed himself to his limit. Which, while impressing the teacher, had left him sore and wishing that they had agreed to have lunch somewhere closer to the gym.

The door to the roof opened again, Atemu looking up to see the rest of the gang walking over. He smiled and waved at them, taken aback when Yugi gave an exasperated shake of his head and sat down beside him. "What did you do, mou hitori no boku?"

"What do you mean?" Atemu tried to avoid answering the question, the look that Yugi shot him showing that his aibou could see right through him. The former pharaoh sighed and leaned back, wincing a bit with the move. Apparently, that was all Yugi needed to know.

The teenager rolled his eyes and flopped onto the roof beside him, shaking his head. "You really need to learn some self control, Atemu."

"I have self control, aibou." Yugi rolled his eyes as a response, opening up his lunch box and sitting down to eat. Atemu glanced hopefully at him, smirking when Yugi answered his unspoken request, carefully arranging the former pharaoh to his liking before cuddling close. Atemu thought he heard Tèa giggle, rolling his eyes before digging into his sandwich. "Please don't turn into those girls. I've been giggled at and fawned over all day."

"Thought you would be used to it by now." Joey reached over and stole something out of Tristan's lunch while the brunette wasn't looking. "What with you being the Pharaoh and all."

"When I was Pharaoh it was punishable by death to look at me without my permission. And I was considered a god." Atemu absently popped a grape into his mouth, taking his time before speaking again. "One does not giggle at their god."

"So, if we have to lust over you, do it in silence?" Tèa raised her eyebrow as she spoke.

Atemu nodded, offering Yugi a grape which the teenager leaned over to eat. He glanced at Yugi before shrugging. "Or, better yet, not at all. As I said, I am spoken for."

Tèa nodded before sighing and shaking her head. "You two look good together, it should be obvious."

"Is that one of those girl things? 'Cause I don't understand that at all." Joey shook his head, grunting as Tristan punched his side as he attempted to steal more food. The blonde looked helplessly around before sighing, going back to his own food.

They lapsed into silence; each eating their lunch at their own pace, Atem and Yugi lingering the longest as they slipped into the habit of feed each other from time to time. Joey stared at bit longer before shaking his head. "What do girls think of that?"

"It's cute and romantic."

"Hear that Yug', you're being cute and romantic." Yugi shrugged, smiling up at Atemu before cuddling closer, ignoring the gagging noises that Joey made. They waited out the bout of immaturity, Joey laughing himself before leaning against the fence. "So, what did you write on the board, Atemu?"

"A request to send those giggling idiots to the Shadow Realm...with Yugi's permission, of course." Atemu looked down at Yugi, noticing that his aibou was glaring at him again. "He said I couldn't."

"You can't use your shadow powers anyway, mou hitori no boku." Yugi shrugged, the glare disappearing from his face. "I was just saving you from disappointment."

"What a thoughtful aibou I have."

The bell rang at that moment, everyone looking up before sighing. Atemu used the fence to get up, wincing as various pains made themselves known. He gave Yugi a shaky smile before offering his hand to Yugi. His teenager took his hand and they walked back down into the school building. He paused for a minute before Yugi began pulling him to their next class.

People looked at them as they walked down the hall, probably writing it off as Yugi showing the new student around. But, hopefully, none of them would approach him with the hope of getting a date. With Yugi here, maybe the girls would stop _staring_ at him, it made him nervous.

* * *

"Come on, mou hitori no boku!" Atemu smiled and limped up the stairs to Yugi's room, ignoring the laughter that came from Yugi. He gave Yugi a glare before moving into the room and flopping down onto the bed, his backpack sliding down his arm until it fell onto the floor. He groaned as the bed moved, Yugi flopping down onto it. "What's the matter?"

"I'm still sore, aibou." Atemu opened one eye to look at his hikari, unable to stay made with Yugi for too long. "This body hasn't been through much physical exercise. It's a carbon copy of yours, basically."

"Told you that you need to work on your self control." Yugi leaned on one arm, the other resting over Atemu's chest. "As amusing as these situations can be, I don't like to see you hurt."

"I'll remember that." Atemu wiggled closer to Yugi, pulling his hikari down so Yugi was partially resting on his chest. The teenager laughed, shifting until he was comfortable.

"You know that we need to do our homework."

"It can wait for a few minutes. Just give me this." Yugi nodded, Atemu giving a long sigh before closing his eyes again. He just needed this moment to ground himself after being thrown into that situation. He sighed and gave Yugi a kiss on the neck, feeling the teenager shiver and laughed. "Thanks, aibou."

"Anything for you." Yugi gave him one last hug before sitting up and scrambling over Atemu to get to his desk. The teenager smiled at Atemu before digging into his math homework, the former pharaoh watching his aibou for a moment before getting to work himself. He glanced over at Yugi again, the two of them sharing a smile before getting to work.

_

* * *

Please read and review. Criticism is always welcome._


	9. A Trip to the Mall

**Author's Note:** Some continuity here too, refer to the one before this for the references to the show that they all hate. I just think its too good a gag to let go of. Also, sorry about the lack of actual real stores and shopping places. I honestly don't go to the mall a lot and, if I do go, I head to the bookstore. Hence, I have no idea what is at a mall except for bookstores, video games stores, strange clothing stores and food. Oh well, I guess that leaves me more time for writing. Requested by Shamise.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just parts of the plot…what plot there is.

Dedicated to Shamise.

* * *

**A Trip to the Mall**

Atemu staggered under the next bag that Tèa passed off to him, looking over at Yugi with a pitiful expression. His aibou gave him a shrug before taking some of the bags. The two continued following Tèa through the mall, Atemu trying to balance the purchases that he had been tricked into carrying, but it wasn't his fault that he couldn't quite understand the girl when she decided to speak quickly. How Yugi could do that was a mystery to him.

He shifted the bags in his arms, turning his head to look around at the mall that they were in, glad when Tèa called for a lunch break. Atemu allowed Yugi to lead him towards the food court, having stopped attempting to see over all he was carrying. Thankfully, Yugi and Tèa went to get their orders, allowing Atemu to relax, sighing as he sat back.

The former pharaoh stared up at the ceiling, glancing over the florescent lights before looking down at the table. He had been in the modern world for about six months, forcing himself to actually participate in his new life instead of staying at the game shop like he often wanted to. He still felt very overwhelmed by the things here, but Yugi was always there.

Like always, Yugi was the one to steady him in every situation, his dependence on Yugi nothing new. Atemu stretched and slumped a bit in his seat, having to tell himself that he could relax here. He was no longer a pharaoh and no one was looking to dethrone him. He didn't even have his title as King of Games, but that void would be filled soon enough. Assuming that he could beat Yugi again, a fact that he was beginning to doubt; Yugi was his equal in every way.

The two walked back over, Atemu smiling at his aibou before sitting up, accepting the hamburger that was passed to him. Apparently his body had come out almost as a carbon copy of Yugi's, with the exception of his height, hair and eyes, everything else was Yugi; including the taste buds. Although, unlike Yugi, Atemu was a bit more adventurous with what he was willing to try.

He watched Tèa as he ate, tipping his head to the side as he watched her repack her purchases, eventually getting it down to a few bags that she could handle herself. Tèa smiled before folding up the other bags, nodding at both Yugi and Atemu. "Thanks guys. Sorry you had to cart these around for a while."

"No problem Tèa." Yugi grabbed a fry from Atemu, gesturing around with it for a moment. "You volunteered to help me out, so it's no big deal."

Atemu blinked and stared at his aibou, not remembering anything else about today. His confusion must have shown because Yugi smiled and leaned over, pointedly stealing another fry from him. "I told you this yesterday, but you were too distracted."

"When?"

"When you were trying to distract me." Yugi smiled and went for another fry, Atemu blocking him. Yugi looked up at him, Atemu steeling himself for the wide eyed look Yugi was giving him. "But yours taste better."

"Aibou, they taste the same. Bakura is a bad influence on you." Atemu shook his head before moving his food closer to him, Yugi pouting.

"But they aren't even _back_ from Egypt. There is no way that Bakura can be influencing me from there."

"The Tomb Robber works in mysterious ways, aibou." Atemu examined a fry as he said this, considering it for a moment before actually biting into it. He chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "After all, he got back from the afterlife, somehow."

"Mou hitori no boku, sometimes I worry that you hit your head too hard after that fall you took in that temple." Yugi shook his head, picking up his milkshake before glancing over at Tèa, Atemu looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Their friend was trying to hide a giggle behind her hand, Atemu rolling his eyes before looking back at Yugi.

The teenager just gave him a cheeky smile around the straw that was still in his mouth, glancing down at his watch before setting down his empty cup. "What I was trying to tell you _before_ you distracted me-"

"Which I did quite thoroughly, if I remember correctly." Atemu responded with his own smile, the comment and expression throwing Yugi off track for a minute, the teenager sputtering.

Yugi shook his head. "I told you that we were going shopping for you, which is the whole reason that I brought Tèa along. I needed a third party."

"Why, aibou?"

Yugi blushed and muttered something under his breath before standing up. "Come on. I want to get this done before he thinks of a way out of this."

Tèa nodded and got up as well, Atemu finishing off the last of his milkshake before following them, catching one of Yugi's hands at it swung by his side. The teenager looked back at him before giving a smirk, Atemu suddenly feeling like he had miscalculated.

He found himself being dragged into a clothing store, looking over everything before looking at Yugi, still worried about the smirk that was on Yugi's face. The teenager kept a hold on his hand as he and Tèa walked down the rows, picking out things. Atemu quickly figured out that he had a limited power of veto, having them discard some of the more outrageous clothes.

When Yugi had one armload of clothes, Atemu found himself dragged towards the dressing rooms, Tèa promising to come along in a bit. The former pharaoh was pushed into a dressing room, the clothes pushed into his arms. He looked down at what Yugi and Tèa had chosen before looking up at his aibou, that smirk still on his face. "It's expressions like that which make me worry, aibou."

* * *

It felt like he had put on fifty different outfits, Atemu staring at himself in the mirror before opening the door, crossing his arms and glaring at Yugi, ready to issue his ultimatum. However, he never got to, the look that crossed Yugi's face too priceless to interrupt.

Yugi's mouth had dropped open, his eyes going wide as he stared at him. Atemu just smirked at Yugi, laughing with Tèa as she had to reach out to steady Yugi. "I think that one is a keeper. What do you think Yugi?"

"Yes, aibou, what do you think?" Atemu was sure what Yugi said wasn't from any current language, amused by the babbling of his aibou. He walked over to Yugi, stopping to lean against one of the chairs nearby. A glance at Tèa showed that she knew what he was doing, and was alright with continuing to tease the shorter teenager. "So, are we done for the day?"

Tèa looked at her watch before nodding, standing up and stretching. "Yeah, the crowd will be coming soon. Change and throw that over, Yugi and I will get in line."

Yugi didn't look like he was getting up soon. Atemu smirked and strode over to Yugi, leaning over and gently closing the teenager's mouth with two fingers under his chin. "Did you hear her, aibou?"

His hikari gave a slow nod, the dazed look in Yugi's eyes telling Atemu all he needed to know. Yugi hadn't heard a word that Tèa had said. He smiled and kissed Yugi on the forehead before going back into the dressing room, quickly slipping out of the outfit and pulling on his pants before opening the door to throw the outfit out to Tèa, not missing the longing look that she gave him. Atemu laughed and shut the door. "I'm taken."

"I know. A girl can dream, can't she." He heard Tèa moving around outside, chuckling as he pulled his shirt over his head. He tipped his head towards the door as Tèa spoke again. "After all, reincarnation was a part of the Egyptian religion, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Atemu grabbed his jacket before walking out, watching as Tèa tried to move Yugi out of his chair. She looked at him before shrugged, passing the clothes that they were going to purchase. "Unfortunately, the time period was around forty-two days. Also, you are looking at my current reincarnation"

Tèa looked down at Yugi, the teenager still in slight shock. She looked back up at Atemu who just shrugged. "He's taken too."

Tèa sighed and shrugged. "Do you know of any other ancient civilization that sealed its kings into jewelry?"

"No. But I'll tell you if I hear anything."

She nodded. "I'll ask Bakura then. He would know."

Atemu thought he caught the edge of a smile before Tèa convinced Yugi to stand up and began walking towards the register, Atemu staring after them. He rolled his eyes before following.

* * *

He had honestly thought that he knew how to deal with crowds, they had gathered under his balcony and whenever he ventured out of the palace. He remembered thinking that the Pharaoh himself summoned the crowds by standing on that balcony when he was younger, spending time trying to see over the railing when he had wandered out to see if his theory was true.

But those were nothing compared to the crowd that flooded the mall. Atemu was at his wits end at the moment, looking frantically around for Yugi. His aibou and Tèa were constantly drifting away from him. He knew enough to get back to the game shop, but he still didn't feel quite right on his own.

Atemu made his way to one of the edges of the crowd leaning against one of the walls and looking through the crowd, hoping that he would able to spot Yugi and then cursing the better diets that had led to taller people. He sighed and leaned back, his fingers drumming against in as he tried to control his temper. Fortunately for the rest of the people in the mall, he could no longer send people to the Shadow Realm.

"Calm down, mou hitori no boku." He spun quickly to see Yugi standing by his side, amazed that he hadn't noticed his aibou walk up to him, Yugi resting a hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it, there's just a new game release today."

"What?"

"Just one of those new ones, probably another one of those Egyptian ones." Yugi rolled his eyes as he took Atemu's hand, the two of them exchanging equal looks of understanding before braving the crowd to get to the other side of the mall, Tèa waving at them from that side.

"Larger crowd that usual."

"It's because of that game release."

Tèa blinked before she nodded in understanding, rolling her eyes as well. "I don't see the appeal of that. I mean," she paused to gesture at one of the advertisement posters on the wall, "look at it."

Atemu glared at the poster, long over the personal offense that he felt because of it. The posture showed a perfectly tanned and muscled man, dressed only in a cloth of gold shenti, his short black hair styled in an almost spiked style. He was holding a woman who looked like a tanned version of Tèa in his arms, the woman swooning. The bottom announced the title of the game in bold letters; **In the Name of the Pharaoh**.

They all groaned and walked away, ignoring the squeals of the girls as the looked at the poster. Yugi threw his hands up in the air, Atemu looking worriedly at his aibou, knowing that Yugi took this whole franchise too personally. "When will that stupid show get off the air?!"

"It's popular, aibou."

"It's horribly inaccurate."

"So are most things, but that never stops them."

Yugi shot him a dirty look before looking his watch. "What time is it in Egypt?"

"Why?"

Yugi pulled out his cell phone, scrolling through the contacts. "I'm wondering if Bakura could do something about that."

"Why does everyone suddenly want Bakura?!" Atemu glared at the two of them before stomping out of the doors, Tèa quickly catching up with him and catching his shoulder. Atemu looked over his shoulder at her before she smacked the back of his head, the former pharaoh wincing. He rubbed the back of his head, turning to look at Yugi.

His aibou gave him a smile before jogging over to grab his hand, beginning to pull him in the direction of the game shop. "Ryou can keep his thief, I would rather have my pharaoh."

"Good." Atemu gave Yugi a one armed hug, using the move to check the time on Yugi's watch. "If we hurry, we can get home fast enough to make fun of that horrendous attempt to tell the story of my life."

"Alright!" Yugi rushed forward, turning around partway down the sidewalk to wave at Atemu and Tèa. "Come on guys!"

* * *

_Read and review please. Criticism is greatly appreciated._


	10. Chicken Soup for the Pharaoh's Soul

**Author's Note:** Team SilverHawk requested one where Atemu got the flu and Yugi took care of him. And, while it isn't the usual doting care, I kind of went for the sweeter, subtler version of that. Also, I'm taking my experience from having the flu. Personally, I can't stay away for long periods of time, so I nap. Considering that's my experience with the flu, that's what our pharaoh gets as well.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, I just own the plot…what plot that there is.

**

* * *

Chicken Soup for the Pharaoh's Soul**

He trudged into the shop, rubbing his forehead as Yugi rushed ahead to hug his grandfather. Atemu wasn't quite sure if he waved at Solomon, distracted by his headache. He flinched as the motion of walking up stairs caused his head to pound even more. The former pharaoh walked into their room, tossing his backpack carelessly on the floor before flopping backwards onto their bed. One arm was thrown over his face as he settled back onto the sheets.

Everything ached.

Atemu shifted to a more comfortable position, one hand groping for the covers before pulling them over him. He sighed and snuggled under the covers, opening one eye as Yugi entered the room. The teenager rolled his eyes before sitting at his desk. "Today wasn't that bad, mou hitori no boku."

"It's been a bad week, aibou." His whole week had slowly gone downhill, Atemu feeling more exhausted every day and for no reason that he could figure out. The former pharaoh closed his eye and moved back under the covers again. He just wanted to sleep, hoping that it was the solution to his exhaustion problem. Homework could wait until he woke up, he _needed_ this right now.

From the desk came the sound of movement and the shuffling of papers the normal rhythm of the sounds of Yugi working soothing him. They suddenly stopped, Atemu shifting his head to free up one ear to hear better. He heard the soft sound that Yugi made before crossing the room. He tried to burrow further under the covers as Yugi sat down on the side of the bed, his hand unerringly falling on one of Atemu's that was hidden under the covers. "Mou hitori no boku? Yami?"

The covers were pulled back slowly, Atemu reluctantly opening his eyes to look at the teenager, watching Yugi's face shift from curiosity to concern. His aibou's brow furrowed for a moment before he placed a hand on Atemu's forehead, the former pharaoh leaning into the cool touch. He nearly whimpered as the contact was taken away. He glanced up at Yugi as the teenager pulled away. "Stay here."

"Like I'd move." Atemu flopped back onto the bed, shifting until he had found a comfortable spot on his side of the bed, groaning as he realized there was a flaw in his plan for a nap. He had gotten too used to having Yugi there with him. He groped around the empty space before flipping and grabbing the Kuriboh pillow that had been consigned to the floor with his arrival. He settled back down, curling himself around the pillow with a happy sigh, slowly drifting off.

It seemed like only minutes later that he was shaken awake by Yugi, sitting up slowly. His aibou smiled at him before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Feeling better?"

"Not really." His head wasn't pounding anymore, but he still ached for no reason. He moved, shifting so he was sitting on the edge of the bed and resting his head on Yugi's shoulder.

"Don't fall asleep on me." Yugi pulled him from the bed, leading him out into the hallway and down into the kitchen. Atemu blinked blearily at Solomon before he was guided over to the table, Yugi giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder before sitting in his own seat. Atemu looked at him before leaning against his hand, staring at the juice that was sitting in front of him without much interest. He was just too tired to care.

He let Solomon give his shoulder a shake as he passed by, barely looking up as Yugi's mother walked in, still dressed for work. She gave her son a hug before looking over at Atemu and giving a concerned hum before walking over to the former pharaoh and feeling his forehead. Atemu allowed the move, any protest lost in the wake of his apathy. Yugi's mother shook her head before bustling over to her seat. They started dinner, Atemu just pushing the food on his plate around while the others ate, aware that his aibou was constantly looking over at him.

"Tomorrow, Atemu is staying home from school." Atemu looked up, blinking a few times before comprehension dawned. He wanted to protest, but didn't have the energy. He just nodded, finishing his drink before pushing away from the table and heading upstairs. He immediately walked over to the bed, picking up the Kuriboh and curling around it again before drifting off to sleep.

He woke up briefly when Yugi crawled into be with him, pushing the Kuriboh back to the floor before positioning himself in Atemu's arms. He opened one eye to look at Yugi, surprised when Yugi kissed his forehead before settling down to sleep.

* * *

Atemu vaguely recalled Yugi telling him goodbye the next day, not quite sure of the moments when he was awake and when he was asleep. He knew for sure that he had spent an hour trying to convince himself to get up, only to fall back asleep mid argument. He also knew that Solomon must have brought food to him, because soup had appeared on Yugi's desk. He had roused himself then, going over to the desk and eating before dragging himself back into bed. The next time he had been coherent, the tray had been gone.

Of course, the next time he was coherent he couldn't breathe properly.

He groaned and used the Kuriboh pillow to prop himself up, glaring at the clock. He actually wanted to be awake when Yugi got home, to keep his hikari from worrying too much about him. Although, that was harder than he first thought. He was fighting sleep when he heard someone running up the stairs, the door to the room swinging open.

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi charged in with a smile, looking at him before throwing himself at Atemu. The former pharaoh caught his aibou and cuddled him close, the two of them holding that position before Yugi got up, dragging a chair to the side of the bed so that he could sit on it, resting a hand on Atemu's forehead. "Feeling any better?"

"If anything, I feel worse."

Yugi bit his lip before nodding and sitting back. "Do you need anything?"

"I'd like to be able to breathe." They both smiled at that, Yugi giving him a light shove before standing up.

"I'll get you a snack."

"Thanks, aibou." Atemu watched Yugi leave before adjusting the pillow that he was using to prop himself up with. He turned and snuggled back down, apparently falling asleep because Yugi was shaking him awake. Atemu blinked as he was handed a brightly wrapped rectangle, staring at the fruit bar before opening it and beginning to eat. "How long?"

"About ten minutes." Yugi smiled. "I'm officially in charge of you now. Mom and Grandpa have stuff to do."

"May the gods preserve me."

Yugi gave him another shove. "Hey. Better than most of your high priests."

Atemu laughed, his voice sounding odd because of the illness. "The stories I could tell you about them."

"Really?" Atemu nodded, and settled back, Yugi shifting forward on his chair. "Can you tell me?"

"After your homework." Yugi groaned by went to work, Atemu shifting to watch him until he fell asleep.

* * *

He was shaken awake again, Yugi smiling down at him with a tray in his hands. Atemu sat up and shifted so the tray could sit in his lap. Yugi settled at his desk, also eating so he wasn't alone. Atemu smiled at his aibou, a slight blush crossing his face as Yugi got up just to settled adjust the covers around him. "Yugi, you don't have to do all of this."

"But, I want to." Yugi leaned over to kiss his cheek before walking back over to his desk and sitting in the chair. "And I honestly don't mind. I enjoy taking care of you. You took care of me for four years while in my head. I have this chance to return the favor."

Atemu stared at Yugi, the teenager seeming to ignore him as he finished up his dinner before moving the chair back to the bedside. Atemu turned to his own simple meal, glad that he had the energy to eat. Yugi reached for his hand, Atemu giving it up to hand Yugi hold it gently. Atemu stared at his food, struggling with words for a moment before finally speaking. "Aibou, you've taken care of me for years, even before I was aware of you."

"Well then, let me continue." Atemu leaned forward, nibbling on his food as Yugi adjusted his pillows. They sat in a silence, Yugi watching him eat before standing up to take the trays away, leaving Atemu to wait eagerly for his return. He smiled as Yugi came back, returning to the bedside to hold his hand. Atemu pulled Yugi down onto the bed, allowing the teenager to curl up beside him.

"Now, about that story you promised…"

"Such a demand for your sick lover, aibou."

Yugi stuck out his tongue before snuggling close again. Sure Solomon had taken care of his body all day, but now Yugi was here to take care of his soul.

"Alright then…" Atemu cast his mind back, trying to pick out a story that would make Yugi laugh. For now, he needed to hear that sound. It was better than most medicine. He smiled at Yugi, leaning back and beginning to speak. "Well, there was this one time when Seto…"

* * *

_Sorry for taking so long, school decided to pick up the pace._

_Please read and review. Criticism is always welcome._


	11. Heartbreaker

**Author's Note:**Sorry for taking so long in getting these out, but my longer fic ideas sort of grew and I want to get those out of the way before going back to small stuff like this and These Cherished moments. Please don't take that as me forgetting or abandoning these fics, they're just sitting on the back burner. To make up for this, I'm posting two of these today. So please, enjoy. This one was requested by Atsuma and it's a sequel to Atemu's first day of school

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just what plot that there is.

**

* * *

Heartbreaker.**

Atemu slammed his locker shut, giving the dial a lazy spin to make sure it was locked before grabbing his books from the top of the locker, leaning back against the cold metal as Yugi finished gathering his things. The shorter teen glanced over at him and smiled, Atemu freeing up one hand to take Yugi's as they walked down the hall, completely unaware of the stares that they were drawing, his focus entirely on the teenager that was nearly bouncing at his side.

"Aibou, it's a Monday. What is there to be excited about?"

"No math or physics today. It's the fun day."

"Fun day?" Atemu raised an eyebrow, still skeptical about the title that Yugi had bestowed on this day.

"Alright, for school, it's a fun day." Yugi smiled, moving closer to Atemu. The former pharaoh took advantage of the motion, wrapping his arm around Yugi's waist. Yugi pressed himself against Atemu's side, sighing happily. "Besides, you're in almost all of my classes. That makes it so much better."

"Now _that_ would qualify this as a good day."

Yugi glanced up at him and shook his head. "You're so arrogant."

"Can you blame me?" Atemu tipped his head to the side. "For seventeen years of my life I was worshipped as a god…or close enough to one. That sort of devotion can mess with your head." He grinned at Yugi, reluctantly letting the teenager go.

Instead of walking into the classroom, Yugi stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "You're weird mou hitori no boku."

"But you love me."

Yugi laughed. "I do." He leaned up to kiss Atemu, keeping it chaste and short, pulling away and leaving the former pharaoh pouting. "That won't work on me, Atemu."

He followed Yugi into the classroom, sitting down at his desk as Yugi went to greet Joey, the teenager getting his usual morning greeting which included a hug and a headlock, Atemu deciding to forgo the ritual that morning. He just looked around the classroom, automatically leaning back so Yugi could sit on his lap when his partner returned.

Yugi walked back over, getting pulled into Atemu's lap so they could cuddle, the former pharaoh loathe to give up the only contact that he could have with his partner. Even though they both had gotten used to living in separate bodies, they still wanted to stay as close to each other as possible. It was only when Yugi began to wiggle that Atemu let go, both of them blissfully unaware of the other students in the classroom.

"Don't pout, you'll survive."

"The girls want to jump me, aibou, I know it."

Yugi chuckled at the pathetic look that Atemu attempted, leaning forward to run his hand through Atemu's hair, pulling him close for a kiss. The former pharaoh responded eagerly, a soft whimper escaping him as Yugi pulled around, resting their foreheads against each other.

Atemu leaned into Yugi's soft caress with a sigh. They had established their relationship on a physical level just a few weeks earlier, and both of them were even more reluctant to pull away from each other for long. All their friends teased them about being dependant on each other or acting like a married couple, the latter a thought that Atemu didn't mind entertaining at all.

Technically, by his culture's standards, they were already married. Atemu had moved his scant belongings to Yugi's house and been accepted by Yugi's family. All they needed was a contract to make it official, but Atemu was willing to accept the unspoken agreement between them, something left over from when Atemu had lived in the Millennium Puzzle. While not completely official, Atemu still liked to entertain the thought.

"Try to behave," Atemu looked up at Yugi as the teenager spoke haltingly in Egyptian, pronouncing some of the words wrong, but Atemu appreciated the effort. "For me?"

"For you, partner, I'll live with their stares." Atemu responded in the same language, Yugi pulling him into a hug.

"That's my pharaoh."

Atemu smiled at the endearment before Yugi pulled away, the teenager scampering back to his seat before the bell rang. Atemu watched him go before sorting through his things, absently twirling a pen in his fingers as he waited for the teacher to start, suddenly aware that girls were staring at him, more so than usual. He grumbled under his breath and forced himself to focus on the board, praying that they would lose interest soon. It had only been two days and they were already annoying him.

Maybe Yugi would let up and allow him to do something. Atemu never thought he would miss the Shadow Realm, but he could feel its loss keenly now.

What else was he was supposed to do with the people he despised?

* * *

Atemu glanced up as Tèa sat next to him, smiling at the girl. She was the only one from their group in this class with him, one of the two that he didn't share with Yugi, and he welcomed her company. Despite still harboring the last vestiges of a crush towards him and Yugi, Tèa was a good friend. He had discovered that Tèa kept tabs on the school rumor mill, something the rest of the guys were grateful for.

He sat up, closing the book that he was trying to finish for his literature class. Atemu paused for a moment at the look that Tèa gave him, returning with his own stare. "What?"

"I'm guessing that you haven't heard the rumors?"

"Tèa, I'm a guy." Atemu raised an eyebrow at her. "I do not pretend to understand rumors nor did I pretend to before. Just tell me."

"Why is Yugi the only one who gets to tease you?" Tèa faked a pout, the action getting a smile from the former pharaoh.

"I don't restrict that right, you all just treat me like a pharaoh at all times. Yugi and I shared minds, which might have destroyed the godly appearance that I am trying for."

"You mean that he had full access to your dirty mind."

"I was trying to make is sound better, but yes." Tèa laughed, shaking her head. Atemu allowed her this laugh at his expense before leaning forward. "So, about this rumor…"

"Oh, it's nothing that you don't already know. But, as a warning, you have just broken a good amount of hearts."

"How so?"

"Your morning display of affection towards Yugi."

"So? I did that yesterday as well."

"Yes, once is an accident, twice is fact." Tèa shrugged, leaning back in her seat. "In two days, ignoring your first day and counting today, you have managed to convince the entire school that you are, indeed, gay."

Atemu just stared at her before shrugging. "That doesn't bother me."

"I thought not. Just warning Yugi about it, he doesn't like to be in the public eye."

"I noticed." Atemu made a vague gesture at his head before raising an eyebrow.

Tèa laughed, stopping as the teacher walked in. "You would be the first to know."

They settled down, both of them sighing when the teacher assigned a bunch of busy work, shuffling through papers to begin, easily resuming their discussion. "Just be ready to fend off questions."

"Alright. Thanks, Tèa." He focused on the problem, reading over the information that he was given before leaning back, deciding to mull it over for a bit. He glanced over at Tèa, smirking as he watched his friend struggle before moving to help here. "Here, try it this way."

They settled into a steady work pace, Atemu glancing up at the other girls in the room and watching their wistful looks, some of them becoming jealous glares at Tèa. Atemu gave a low chuckle, the sound making Tèa give him a questioning glance. "I think they envy you."

"They all secretly hope that they can show you the error of your ways. That or they just want a change to get you drunk enough to-"

"I'll avoid alcohol then." Atemu blinked. "But I believe that I'm too 'young' to drink in this country anyway."

"Poor deprived pharaoh." Tèa laughed, Atemu smirking at her. It had taken a while for the gang to be able to joke around him, too used to the stern protector image that he gave off at times.

"Laugh while you can, Gardner."

"Your threats are empty. I can still talk to Yugi," she gave him a smile, "even if you did steal him from me."

"You cannot steal what is willingly given. And aibou was more than willing."

Tèa stared at him before clamping a hand over her mouth to keep the sound of her laughter from escaping. Atemu continued to work until she recovered. "I would have never thought your mind was _that_ dirty, Pharaoh."

"Three thousand years was a long time to be locked up. And, I had been the pharaoh."

"What does that mean?" Atemu looked up from his work to give Tèa a long look, raising his eyebrow as Tèa continued to struggle with what he was implying. It only took a second more before she gasped and hit his arm, some of the other girls in the class room shooting glares at her.

"Atemu!" Tèa tried to clam her laughter, lowering her voice. "Would there be room in that harem of yours for me?"

"Sorry, no vacancy. But I do have a space in my court that you can fill. I need someone to go amongst the rabble and listen to what they are saying."

"Consider the position accepted. Now, help me on this one because I have no idea what it is asking."

* * *

He found Yugi, his aibou jumping up and down and waving to attract his attention. The former pharaoh smiled before weaving his way through the crowded cafeteria, the drop in temperature the only reason that their group was eating indoors. He slid into his chair at the circular table, abruptly looking up as a bunch of girls sauntered over, one hanging at the back of the group. Their leader opened her mouth to speak, but Atemu cut her off. "Not interested."

"But you were flirting with Tèa earlier!"

Atemu blinked and looked over at Tèa. "Was that flirting?"

He heard Yugi laugh at his feigned ignorance, leaning back against Atemu. Tèa stared at him for a moment before realizing what was going on and smiling. "Nope. That was just a conversation between two friends. Now, could you try not to molest Yugi while we're eating?"

"But aibou is so molest-able!" Atemu smirked, watching all but one of the girls walk away, about to drop the act that he had started when the last girl shuffled up, looking nervously at him.

"I really hope you two will be happy together." She gave them a brilliant smile before rushing off, leaving them all stunned.

Yugi was the first to recover, settling in his seat only to be pulled into Atemu's lap with a squeak of surprise. Tèa looked up from her lunch, rolling her eyes as the other stared. "I meant it about the molesting thing."

"As did I." Atemu gave Yugi one last hug before letting the teenager go, Yugi going back to his seat and digging into his lunch.

"So you were flirting with Tèa?"

"Not really, she was merely informing me that the girls in the school have been oblivious." At Yugi's sideways glance, the former pharaoh decided to elaborate. "They failed to notice that we were dating."

"Ah, so they're still deluding themselves."

"Yes." Atemu glanced over at Joey and Tristan, who were staring with incomprehension at them. The former pharaoh just shrugged and went back to his lunch, looking up briefly as Joey broke the silence.

"Ya know, I will never understand women."

"And that's just the way we want it." Tèa giggled at the flabbergasted look that Joey shot her. Yugi giggled a bit himself before resting his head on Atemu's shoulder, Atemu reaching down to hold Yugi's hand as the friends talked.

"So," Atemu tensed and then relaxed at the breath of air that drifted across his neck "any other problems?"

"Tèa believes that I molest you and every given opportunity."

"Well, you do."

"So? You don't protest."

"No, but-"

"Don't attempt to get around that, aibou. I assure you that I could still prove my point."

"Against the King of Games?"

"We'll be sharing that title soon."

"Only if you beat Kaiba." Yugi gave him a playful grin before leaning forward to continue eating. "Challenge me again when that happens."

"But aibou-"

"Only then."

Atemu pouted for a moment longer before squeezing the hand that he still held. "That's unnecessarily cruel."

"Nope, just realistic." Yugi leaned closer to Atemu, the former pharaoh giving a twitch as he tried to think of a response, which was hard with Yugi in kissing distance.

"Hey, you two!" They pulled apart, looking at Tristan as the brunette smiled. "Some of us are trying to eat here!"

Atemu rolled his eyes and gave Yugi a poke with his free hand. "We'll continue this later, aibou."

"Of course, but I'll win." Yugi gave him a bright smile before returning to his find, not letting go of Atemu's hand.

_

* * *

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome._


	12. The Trouble with Fans

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, I just own the plot.

**

* * *

The Trouble with Fans.**

"Promise me that you can handle this?" Atemu smiled from his place on the couch as Yugi rolled his eyes, gently steering his mother towards the door.

"I'm sure, Mom. We're just a formality, right? And you deserve a day with your friend. We can handle this." He stopped by the door that led out of the house, by-passing the shop entrance entirely. "We'll be fine, they're just a bunch of kinds."

"Well…"

"If things get too bad we'll recruit Tèa and call you. Stop worrying, Mom." Yugi's mother hesitated before leaning over to give Yugi a kiss and walking out of the house, Atemu still watching from the couch. He saw Yugi tense slightly before the teenager turned to look at him, both of them freezing at the sound of voices. They stared at each other for a while before Yugi went to open the door. "Ready?"

Atemu gave a nod and sank lower on the sofa, breathing a sigh of relief when the kids filed in. He shifted on his seat, watching the group of four look around, the three boys immediately heading for the television while the girl swayed in place. Atemu raised an eyebrow as the oldest boy glared at the television before glaring back at Yugi. "Do you get channel 42? I want to watch the finals from the latest tournament."

Yugi and Atemu looked at each other before the former nodded, walking over and fiddling with the television as the other kids flopped down, the girl making a face. "All they care about is Duel Monsters."

"Do you want to do something else?" The girl shook her head at Yugi's offer, smiling. "No, I like the monsters, but it's all they watch. Besides, I want to see if you win, Yugi."

Atemu chuckled and leaned back on the couch with a yawn. Because of how the duels had run, it had been agreed to record the finals and air them the next day as half of the fan base were little kids that wouldn't be allowed to stay up until one in the morning. As for him and Yugi, they had slept until five minutes before the kids had arrived, and would probably crash right after they left.

He looked up as the oldest boy snorted and rolled his eyes, the youngest boy copying him. "Why do you still like Yugi? Seto is obviously better."

"Yeah."

"He's got more wins that Yugi and his deck isn't full of weak, useless monsters."

Yugi shot a glare at Atemu to remain silent, the former pharaoh ducking his head. If Yugi thought that it was best to remain silent, then he would hold his tongue. Even if two of the children were fans of Kaiba. He glanced down at the middle boy. "Who do you like?"

"Joey Wheeler."

"Oh gosh, not him!"

"Not him!"

The older boy glanced at his sibling. "He's just a beginner who keeps getting lucky."

Yugi shot another glare at Atemu before flopping down on the couch, the three boys eagerly arranging themselves on the floor. The girl edged closer to Atemu, pointing at the boys from oldest to youngest. "That's Luke, Andrew and Stephen. Luke is really mean."

"I can see that." Atemu winced as Yugi reached over and gave him a smack on the arm, the former pharaoh staring at his partner in alarm. "What?"

"No shadow games, my pharaoh." Yugi snapped out the answer in Egyptian, Atemu staring at him for a while before rolling his eyes.

"As if I would send a child to the Shadow Realm."

The little girl looked between the two of them. "Mommy says that you're Japanese…are you speaking Japanese?"

"No, it's Egyptian."

"Egypt!" She gave them a huge smile, ignoring her brothers' insistence to stay quiet as the finals started to play. "I love Egypt with the pharaohs and pyramids. Mummies freak me out though."

Luke looked up from the screen. "Mummies are the only good thing about Egypt."

Atemu scooted away from Yugi, dodging the poke that came his way. He resettled himself close to the shorter teenager when he was in no danger of being poked, placing an arm around Yugi to allow him to snuggle closer. He was drifting off to sleep again, dozing to the background noise of the television. Moments later, he was jolted out of his nap by a frustrated shout. "No!"

He gave a sleepy hum and looked over at Yugi, surprised to see that the little girl had switched sides and was also using Yugi as a pillow. Atemu relaxed as Yugi stroked a hand down his back, resting his head on Yugi's shoulder again. "Seto just lost."

"That would explain it." Atemu yawned. "Which duel is next?"

"Ours."

"It's no fun anymore!" Luke pouted from the floor, Atemu watching Stephen copy his older brother. "You two always win."

"But the duels are interesting."

"I wanted Seto Kaiba to win!"

"He needs a couple more trap combos." Atemu answered sleepily from Yugi's shoulder. "If he does that, I might have a more difficult time."

"Have you told him this?"

"I've hinted strongly, aibou." He felt Yugi settle at that, closing his eyes again. Yugi would wake him if the kids got into any trouble. He was about to fall asleep when Luke started talking again, loudly.

"Timmy says that his Mom won't let him watch these duels because of the way you dress. He says that she said it's…wrong." Atemu opened one eye and started at the screen. Yugi was wearing his school uniform as was he, minus the white shirt and the blue jacket, showing the leather shirt underneath. He couldn't find the complaint with their clothes. After all, it had been approved by the school system. Atemu shrugged, hiding his smirk as Luke looked back at him.

As long as he said nothing, maybe Luke would remain silent.

* * *

Atemu leaned back against the counter, watching as the four kids ate, still partially ignoring Luke, the boy seeming to hate him and Yugi. Ate least the others had warmed up to the both of them. He smiled and reached back for his drink, smiling as Yugi talked to the kids about seemingly nonsensical stuff. He smiled at his partner, the expression disappearing as Luke spoke. "My friend Sammy used to be a fan of you two."

Yugi shot Atemu a look, the former pharaoh nodding before remaining silent. He would just see what insult the kid would deal them next. And, in the meantime, he would think of a suitable punishment. He couldn't quite remember if Bakura was free today.

Luke nodded to himself, looking at his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "He said that he can't be a fan anymore because it would be against his religion. Guys aren't supposed to love other guys. I think his Mom called it gracious displays of affection."

Atemu raised an eyebrow before shrugging. Those so called gratuitous displays of affection were limited to holding hands on camera and short celebratory kisses out of the way of the public eye, specifically because they knew how it made some people uncomfortable. Yugi was uncomfortable with that much attention in public anyway.

He gave Yugi a long look before pulling his empty glass in the sink, following two of the kids out. The girl immediately ran over to her dolls and began to play with them while Andrew watched. Atemu was reaching for a book when Yugi followed with the other kids.

"How about we take them to the park and tire them out?" Yugi gave him a pleading look, Atemu nodding before jogging up the stairs to grab his cell phone, running back down to help Yugi herd the kids out the door.

* * *

He finished looked through the deck, tipping his head to the side before handing it back to its owner. "Try adding a few more spell cards. Other than that, just keep practicing."

The child nodded and scampered back to his mother, bouncing excitedly. Atemu smirked and glanced over to where Yugi was pushing Stephen on the swings, easily finding the others. The remaining two boys were discussing the tournament finals with another group of kids while the girl was playing with her dolls. He leaned back on the bench, glancing toward the setting sun before making eye contact with Yugi. The teenager nodded before helping Stephen off the swings. Atemu stood up, walking over to the girl and waving her away from her play, standing close as she said her good-byes.

With the group gathered together, they headed back towards the game shop, the kids dragging their feet all the way. They had just rounded the corner closest to home when a limo pulled up, the kids staring in surprise, but Yugi and Atemu were too used to these things happening.

Atemu strolled up to the back window, raising an eyebrow as it was rolled down, staring at Seto Kaiba. The blue-eyed businessman stared at him for a while. "I didn't expect you to be conscious already."

"The same could be said for you, especially after that beating last night."

"Very funny." Kaiba narrowed his eyes before glancing at Yugi, the teenager attempting a wave with Stephen in his arms. Atemu could see Kaiba deciding on whether to mention the kids before turning back to Atemu. "I have your invitations to the next tournament."

"And you're delivering them yourself?"

"I have to pass through this place to get home."

"But, Kaiba Corp is that way." Atemu pointed back to the city, smiling as Kaiba fumed silently before tossing the two envelopes out the window of the limo, Atemu deftly catching them.

"Is there anything else you wish to taunt me with or are you done wasting my time?"

Atemu glanced back at the kids, looking at Luke for a moment before edging closer to the limo. Kaiba looked at him oddly, something that Atemu ignored. "I've had to put up with a fan of yours all day. That kid there."

Kaiba followed the subtle head jerk, staring at Luke before nodding. "He's got good taste." There was a click of a pen before Kaiba concentrated on something on his lap, Atemu leaning back suddenly avoid being hit by the paper. "Good taste should be rewarded."

He took the autograph before stepping back, Kaiba rolling up the window before the limo drove off. Atemu grinned before stepping back onto the sidewalk, Kaiba tended to have a weak spot for children. The former pharaoh walked over to Yugi and handed him his invitation, the teenager barely looking at it before walking way. Atemu remained behind, stopping Luke as we walked past to hand him the autograph.

The boy stared at the signature before suddenly jumping on Atemu, hugging him before jumping down, bouncing in place. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Luke turned in place, waving at someone down the street. "Mom! Mom! I got Seto Kaiba's autograph! I got it!"

Atemu looked up to see Yugi handing off the kids, an exhausted smile on his face as he spoke to his mother. Luke rushed over his mother, talking excitedly as Atemu trudged over to Yugi, his partner looking at him before jerking his head towards their bedroom. Atemu nodded before walking into the house and staring up the stairs, kicking off his shoes before collapsing into bed. He had a moment before Yugi flopped on top of him, not even bothering to protest as he fell asleep.

_

* * *

I think there's a kid like Luke in every place you go, but hey, that's life._

_Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome._


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